The System
by krart86
Summary: Clarke is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up getting arrested. She is sentenced to community service and is placed at recreation center for foster kids. It's there where she meets Lexa, a fellow volunteer who has been in The System since she was 3. When they meet, Lexa thinks Clarke is a spoiled princess and Clarke thinks Lexa is beautiful.
1. Chapter 1

_**-Two weeks ago -**_

 _Clarke walks hand in hand down the street with her boyfriend Finn. They just celebrated their one month anniversary and Clarke was swooning. Finn surprised her with a picnic dinner by the lake. They ate, talked, kissed and admired the stars. Clarke loved the stars. She always thought they were so beautiful and mysterious. They weren't ready for the night to end so they decided enjoy a nice walk downtown._

 _"Hey, how about some ice cream?" He asks her as they turn the corner._

 _"Ice cream sounds great"_

 _"Awesome, let's go - " he is interrupted by the text message alert on his phone. He reads the message and Clarke can't help but notice his demeanor change._

 _"Everything ok?" She asks._

 _He hesitates, then says "Umm… yeah. I just need to go take care of something on the way to the ice cream shop. It'll only take a minute". He kisses her hand and they continue their walk._

 _About a block from the ice cream shop, Finn comes to a stop. They are standing by an empty alley behind a local bar and Clarke sees a man in a hood standing in the shadows. She doesn't like this, not one bit. Before she can voice her nervousness, Finn lets go of her hand._

 _"I'll be back in a sec." he says as he walks into the alley._

 _Clarke contemplates just walking away. But for some reason her feet are glued where she stands. Maybe it's fear, maybe it's curiosity but she stays put. She watches as Finn shakes the hooded man's hand and then place a small plastic bag in his pocket. Then, just as Finn begins walking back towards where she's standing, a cop car pulls up right behind her. Finn turns around to run but is stopped by the hooded man now holding a badge. The cop grabs Finn and forces him to the ground. Clarke panics as she hears another cop behind her yell "Put your hands up!" She does as she asked and all of sudden, finds herself handcuffed and sitting in the back of a police car._

 **-Present time-**

"Ms. Griffin, you are a first time offender and I do believe you when you say you were in the wrong place at the wrong time…"

Clarke listens to the judge speak. She can't believe she's standing here waiting to be sentenced on drug charges. She can almost feel the disappointment radiating off her parents who are seated behind her.

' _Fuck you, Finn'_ she thinks.

"Now, I can't let you go unpunished, so I'm sentencing you to 90 days of community service."

Clarke lets out a sigh of relief. That's honestly less than she thought she would get. She listens as the judge talks specifics and then she hears him pause and look straight into her eyes.

"Ms. Griffin, I'm leaving you today with some advice. You have to choose your company wisely. There's always more to people than what meets the eye. Take the time to learn about someone. Listen. Observe. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Judge Jaha."

"Very well, you're free to go. Mr. Kane will be waiting to hear from you within 24 hour to schedule your first day."

With that, he dismisses the courtroom and Clarke leaves with her parents. To say the car ride home is awkward is an understatement. No one has spoken for the last 10 minutes and Clarke is not sure if she'll able to earn her parent's trust back again.

"You're lucky, kid" she hears her father say.

"I know."

It's 3:30 p.m. on Monday and instead of hanging out with her friends or spending time in her art studio like she usually does after school, Clarke is standing outside of Arkadia Youth Recreational Center. She had heard of the AYRC before. It's a center specifically for kids who are currently in the social services/foster care system. She had actually thought about volunteering here in the past but decided to work at the hospital her mother works at instead. She wishes she was here under different circumstances, but is determined to do a good job.

"Here goes nothing" she says to herself as she walks through the doors.

After she enters the center, Clarke approaches the reception desk where a young man with funny goggles on his head sits. "May I help you?" he asks her. She reads 'Jasper' on the badge hanging around his neck.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Clarke Griffin. I'm supposed to see Mr. Kane."

"Ah, yes. The community service girl... You don't look like a drug dealer" he states.

"Thanks" Clarke replies with an eye roll.

"Mr. Kane's office is right behind you. Go ahead and go in. He's expecting you."

Clarke nods and makes her way to the door.

"Come in." She hears after knocking.

Clarke enters and briefly looks around the man's modest office. Motivational posters line the walls and she notices photos of tons of smiling children scattered about. Mr. Kane motions to the chair across from his desk and Clarke takes a seat.

"Welcome to AYRC Ms. Griffin, we're pleased to have you." He smiles and Clarke thinks he sounds genuine.

"Thank you, sir." she replies quietly.

"Right, so I read from your file that you have a background in fine art, is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"That's great! We just finished construction on our new art room and have been looking for someone to teach the kids some basics. You seem like a good fit. What do you think?"

"That sounds good Mr. Kane." Clarke tried to contain her excitement. She was worried she'd be on janitorial duty for 90 days.

Mr. Kane smiles and looks at Clarke before he continues in a serious tone.

"Ms. Griffin, I know you're not a bad person. You just got yourself in a really unfortunate situation. But you have to know and understand that these kids live in unfortunate situations every day. It's our job to teach them. To be their friend. Be someone they can trust. It's a big responsibility. And if it's not something you can handle, I need to know now."

"I can handle it, sir. I promise." She says sincerely.

They are interrupted by a knock on the door and a moment later a girl about Clarke's age walks in. Clarke is taken aback by the girls simple beauty and stunning green eyes. The girl looks directly at her, quizzically.

"Oh good, Lexa. I'm glad you're here." Mr. Kane says.

 _Lexa_. That's a great name, Clarke thinks.

Mr. Kane continues, "This is Clarke Griffin, the new volunteer I told you about."

Clarke stands and reaches her hand out to the girl. There's an awkward moment before Lexa takes her hand.

"Right, the new 'court-ordered' volunteer." Lexa smirks and Clarke narrows her eyes at her. iHow dare this girl! /i Clarke thinks. Mr. Kane raises his eyebrow in a silent warning at Lexa and she rolls her eyes. "Nice to meet you, Clarke." She says as she releases her hand.

"You too." Clarke replied in a friendly tone. She will kill this judgmental girl with kindness if she has to.

"Clarke, Lexa here is my assistant director. If you have any questions she'll have the answers for you. Lexa, would you show Ms. Griffin to the art room please."

"Sure thing Mr. Kane" she replied as she turns and walks out of the office without pausing to wait for Clarke. Clarke gives Mr. Kane a quick smile before turning and rushing to catch up to Lexa.

Once she finally catches up to the girl, they walk in silence for a few moments before Clarke speaks up.

"So, how long have you worked here?"

She can hear Lexa take a deep breath before she answers, "Look Princess, you're here for 90 days, there's no reason why you have to act interested in getting to know me."

Before a shocked Clarke can respond they approach a colorful door with 'Art Room' painted on the front. "Here we are." Lexa says as they walk inside. Clarke takes the room in. There are a handful of shelves with various types of supplies. A lot of it looks old and used. Then, Clarke notices a young girl, maybe 8 or 9 sitting alone in the room with tons crayons spread around her.

"That's Charlotte. She loves to color. She spends most of her time in this room." Lexa explains dryly before walking towards the young girl.

"Hey Charlotte," Clarke hears Lexa say in the friendliest tone she's heard from the girl. "This is Clarke. She's the new art room teacher."

The young girl's eyes light up and her smile is so big Clarke can't help but match the smile back. She barely walks two steps before Charlotte is standing right at her feet.

"Hi Charlotte." Clarke says as she squats down to be at eye level with the girl.

"Hi! You do art?" The girl asks excitedly.

"I do. I love art"

"Me too! Come on, let me show you what I'm coloring!" Charlotte grabs Clarke's hand and pulls her towards the table. Clarke turns her head towards the door as Lexa raises her eyebrow to her before turning and walking out.

Clarke isn't sure why Lexa has taken an instant disliking to her. But she's determined to change the green eyed beauty's mind.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 - GIVE ME A CHANCE

"So Piper, how's community service going?" Raven said with smirk.

"Ugh, please stop calling me that." Clarke groaned. She is sitting in the cafeteria of Arkadia High with her friends Raven and Octavia. Her friends haven't stopped with the 'Orange Is The New Black' jokes since her sentencing. It's annoying but, since they both warned her Finn wasn't good for her in the first place, she decided to let them have their fun.

"Seriously though, how's it going Clarke? I've heard some of the kids there can be pretty rough" Octavia comments as she takes a bit of her salad.

Unbeknownst to them, a green eyed brunette is sitting directly behind them and can hear every word. She's gripping her fork trying to remain calm. This isn't the first time she's overheard someone make judgements about the AYRC and by default, about her. She was about to turn around and say something when she hears the blonde speak.

"I wouldn't call any of the kids 'rough'... They just have it rough. I feel so bad for them - " she's interrupted by the sound of someone's chair being pushed backwards behind her. When she turns around to look she is shocked to find Lexa standing above her.

"Lexa! I didn't know - " again she's interrupted. This time by a hand in her face.

"Listen princess, us 'kids' may 'have it rough' but we don't need your pity." She says sternly before walking away, leaving a shocked blonde behind.

"I'll see you guys later." Clarke says quickly to her friends before standing and rushing out of the cafeteria, desperately trying to catch up to the brunette. She walks out of the doors and does a quick survey of the hallway. She finally spots her entering the girls bathroom.

When she enters the restroom she finds Lexa washing her hands. "Lexa?" She says cautiously. The brunette looks up and rolls her eyes. Clarke takes a deep breath and continues. "I didn't know you went to school here. Did you just transfer?" Clarke could tell by Lexa's 2nd eye roll that the answer was probably no. Clarke watched as the girl dried her hands and walked to stand right in front of her before speaking.

"We've been going to the same school since 7th grade Clarke. I'm not surprised you've never noticed. We don't exactly run in the same social circles."

Clarke's mouth drops open. 5 years? They've gone to the same school for 5 years. Honestly, she's a bit ashamed of herself. She's always thought she was an inclusive person, but somehow she's been so wrapped up in her friends and activities she's never noticed this beautiful girl before. Well, she's going to make up for it now.

"I'm sorry I've never taken notice... and I'm sorry if what I said at lunch offended you. That wasn't my intention." She said sincerely.

"Whatever princess. Don't be late to Rec Center." Lexa says before walking out of the restroom leaving the blonde standing alone.

Clarke is sitting in the art room surrounded by a dozen 8-10 year olds. Today, she's showing them how to draw their favorite animals. There are elephants, lions, monkeys, even a couple of unicorns. "Ms. Clarke!" One of the children yell. Clarke turns to face the young girl "Yes Amber?" "Look!" The young girl holds up her finished panda bear and Clarke smiles widely. "That's wonderful Amber. Great job! Let's hang it up." She takes the girl's hand and they make there way to makeshift "gallery" Clarke created on her 3rd day. Already, it's full of the children's creations.

As she is hanging the latest drawing, Clarke notices Lexa kneeling in front of a young boy right outside the art room. He's crying and holding onto his elbow. She watches intently as Lexa gently removes his hand and places a band-aid on his injury. Lexa's face is soft and gentle and Clarke is in awe. How is that the same girl who she talked to at school today?

Clarke feels a tug on her shirt and finds another child eagerly holding up their drawing. She smiles before hanging up that one as well.

It's 7:30 and Clarke is sitting in the reception area with Charlotte. The girls social worker called and said she would be late picking her up. Apparently she had another child who needed to removed from their current home and since social services was beyond short-staffed, Charlotte had wait. The young girl doesn't seem to mind though. She's currently talking animatedly to Clarke about a comic book she found in the library.

"...So then, Wonder Woman used her shiny lasso and beat the bad guy!" The girl recalled to Clarke swinging her arm like she's throwing a lasso. "Clarke, when I get to come back to the center will you show me how to draw Wonder Woman?"

"What do you mean 'when you come back'? Won't you be here Monday?" Clarke asked curiously.

The child nods sadly. "No. I need to go get my medicine and they don't let me come back for few weeks after I get it." She pauses then looks back up at Clarke. "But when I get back, will you show me?"

"Absolutely." Clarke replies.

"Promise?" She asks softly.

"I promise."

Before Clarke could ask the girl about her medicine her social worker arrived. She waves goodbye to Charlotte and when she turns around she immediately jumps back, startled.

"Jesus, Lexa! You scared me." Clarke gasped as she put her hand over heart.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Lexa warned.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't make promises to Charlotte if you don't intend on keeping them. She's been through alot and doesn't deserve to be disappointed." Lexa's voice is soft but stern.

"I have every intention on keeping my promise." Clarke replies seriously. After a brief pause she continues cautiously, "What's going on with her?"

Lexa shakes her said. "It's not my place to say Clarke. Just don't disappoint her."

Clarke nods. "I won't."

Lexa stares straight into her eyes. "I want to believe you."

"Give me a chance. I'll let my actions speak for themselves."

Lexa nods and walks away. Leaving Clarke standing alone… again.


	3. Chapter 3

It's Friday and Clarke is gathering up her things from the staff room at AYRC. She can't believe she just finished up her 3rd week here. For the most part, it's been nothing but a positive experience. The only thing she wishes was better was her relationship with a certain brunette. Lexa still won't speak more than a couple of words to her at a time and won't talk to her at all unless she absolutely needs to. She pretty much makes it a point to ignore her existence otherwise.

Clarke hasn't stopped taking notice of the girl however. She's been admiring her from afar every day. She has noticed how playful she can be with the kids and how they all just gravitate towards her. She sees how intently she listens to each child as they talk to her. She sees her stay late to help Mr. Kane finish paperwork and how she sneaks extra snacks to the same little boy everyday. Clarke is in awe of this girl and can't help but become more enamoured with her as each day passes.

When she makes her way to the front doors she notices it's pouring out. "Great" she sighs. Right before she was about to make a run for it to her car, she sees Lexa sitting on a bench to the right of the doors.

"Hey." Clarke says. Lexa looks up and nods. Well, at least she's not completely ignoring me. Clarke thinks. "Do you, uh, need a ride somewhere?"

Lexa looks up at her narrowing her eyes. "No thanks."

"Are you sure? It doesn't look like this rain is letting up anytime soon." Clarke says not giving up easily.

"I can wait."

Clarke sighs. "Come on Lexa. It's pouring and it's going to be dark soon. Please just let me give you a ride." She can see that the brunette is thinking about it. "It's just a friendly car ride."

Lexa looks up at her briefly before standing up. "Ok."

Clarke is a bit shocked. "Ok then. This way."

The two finally make it inside the car, slightly soaked from the rain. "Sorry, I'm getting your seat wet." Lexa says shyly. "Don't worry about it, water drys." Clarke says with a smile as she leans over to glove box popping it open, causing Lexa to jump back a little. "Sorry. Umm, do you want a tissue to dry your face." Lexa takes the tissue. "Thanks."

Silence envelopes the car. Much to Clarke's annoyance, Lexa hasn't said anything after giving her directions to her house. She can't take it anymore.

"So, do you have any plans this weekend?" She tries.

Lexa turns to her. "We don't really have to go through the small talk do we?" Clarke sighs. "It was just a question, Lexa. Sorry I asked." Lexa noted the defeat in the blondes voice. Rolling her eyes she sat a little straighter in her seat.

"I work every weekend. And then I do homework. Not very interesting." Her tone is flat but it's not hostile. "You work every weekend? Why? When do rest?" Clarke asks.

Lexa looks down at her hands in her lap. "I like to stay busy and I'm saving money for a lawyer." She looks up at the blonde and can tell she's fighting the urge to talk. "Go ahead and ask." She says with a smirk.

That causes Clarke to smile. "Why do you need a lawyer?"

"I'm trying to get emancipated." She says simply. Before Clarke could ask another question, Lexa continues on her own. "I can't last another year and half in the system. I'm tired of it." Clarke just nods as she pulls in front of Lexa's house.

"Thank you for the ride." The brunette says as she unbuckles her seat belt. Before she can move to get out of the car she feels a hand on her arm. Lexa winces as she draws her arm away from Clarke. Clarke raises her hand up quickly. "Oh, sorry. I just wanted to give you my number, you know in case you needed a ride sometime. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Lexa grabs her things and opens the door. "It's ok, I'm fine... And I don't have a phone."

The door is shut and the girl is gone before Clarke can say anything else.

Morning came quickly and Clarke is at the hospital for her volunteering shift. She usually helps her mom upstairs in the neuro unit but her mother thought it'd be better for her to spend time in pediatrics today. She had said _"Since you're doing so well at the Youth Center, I thought you might like it."_ Clarke didn't argue, but she wasn't a fan of peds. She obviously loves kids, but sick ones are hard for her to be around.

Thankfully, she was nearing the end of her shift. She was exhausted. Peds sure do take a lot more of her energy. Her last assignment was to drop off some coloring books to one of the patient rooms and then she would be able to go grab a coffee and go home.

"Knock, knock." She says as she enters the room. "I hear someone wants to color." The coloring books in her hands have fallen to the floor just as fast as the words left her mouth. She quickly picks them up and looks back over at the bed.

"Charlotte?" Clarke is hoping her voice didn't waver.

"Clarke!" The young girl said cheerfully. "Why are you here?"

"I work here too. It's good to see you, I've missed you at the center." Clarke puts on a brave smile before taking a seat on the foot of the girls bed.

Charlotte begins asking her tons of questions about what they've been doing and what art projects they've been working on. Clarke listens intently as her heart is breaks. The joyful little girl she met 3 weeks ago now looks tired and weak laying in this bed.

Clarke stays with Charlotte until the girl falls asleep. As she is packing up the coloring books and crayons she notices the girls chart in the pocket by the door. She knows she's not supposed to but, curiosity gets the better of her. She's skimming over the first page when she sees the word she was afraid of: Leukemia.

Clarke walks across the street from the hospital and into The Dropship Cafe in desperate need of caffeine. She places her order and walks to the other end of the counter to wait for her drink.

"Are you stalking me now?"

She knows that voice. Soft with a hint of annoyance. "Lexa?" Clarke didn't even notice her until right this second. "This is where you work?" Lexa only nods as she removes the milk tin from underneath the steamer. "I come here every Saturday after my shift at the hospital, I've never seen you before."

"I usually work the early morning shift, 4 a.m. to noon, but someone called out today and I took their shift." Lexa explained. "You work at the hospital?" She places Clarke's finished drink on the counter.

"Thanks… Um, yeah. I've been volunteering there for a year. My mom is a neurologist there." Again, all she gets in response is a nod. "I saw Charlotte." She says softly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lexa's eyes soften. "Hey Matt, I'm going to take a break." she yelled over at her coworker before taking off her apron and walking around the corner to where Clarke was standing. She motioned for the girl to sit at a nearby table. Once seated she stares at Clarke.

"I couldn't tell you Clarke. It wasn't my place." She explains. "How is she?"

Clarke takes a sip of her latte. "She's as ok as she can be I guess. She looks tired…" her words trail off. "Where are her parents? Or any family for that matter? From what I could tell, she hasn't had many visitors."

Lexa sits back in her chair and sighs. "I don't know much about her parents except that they are in and out of jail and rehab. No other family that I'm aware of either. She doesn't have anyone."

"She has me now." Clarke says firmly. Before Lexa could respond they are interrupted.

"Lexa, I need you!" The man from behind the counter shouts.

"Sorry. I have to go." Lexa says as she stands up.

"Wait. When is your shift done?"

"In an hour" she answers as she ties her apron.

"Would you like to come over to my place for dinner?" Clarke asks shyly.

Lexa stands frozen, a bit shocked by the sudden invitation. "Uh, I can't." She turns to walk away but stops when she hears the blonde sigh. "Thanks for the invitation though." She adds quickly before making her way back behind the counter.

Clarke smiles.


	4. Chapter 4

_One step forward, a trillion steps back._

Clarke thought that after their brief "friendly" encounter at the cafe that maybe Lexa was starting to come around. But the girl has gone straight back to completely avoiding her at school and only talks to her at the center when she has to. Overall, she seems more distant too (if that was even possible). The only positive was that when she did actually speak to her, her voice wasn't as harsh as before. Sure, it still had a hint of annoyance, but Clarke could deal with that.

What Clarke couldn't deal with was the sinking feeling in her stomach that something more was up with the green eyed girl. Ever since she dropped her off at home she couldn't help but realize that she never sees Lexa wear short sleeves; even when it's 90 degrees outside. She's not sure how, but somehow, some way, she's going to find out what's going on.

Both Clarke and Lexa were exiting the center together that night. Lexa locked the doors and with brief "See ya" towards Clarke's direction, begin walking towards the bus stop. Once she was halfway across the parking lot, she could hear someone running up behind her and yelling her name.

"Lexa, wait." Clarke said finally catching up to her. "Yes, Clarke?" Lexa said as she turned around. Clarke ignored the girl's flat tone. "I'm heading to the hospital right now to see Charlotte and I was wondering if you'd like to join me… She's, uh, been asking about you." Lexa looked shocked. "You've been visiting Charlotte?"

It wasn't meant to sound offensive, but the utter shock in the her voice hurt Clarke. _"She really doesn't think highly of me."_ She thought.

"I've been there everyday." Clarke answered simply.

Lexa just nodded. She looked at her watch and then to the bus stop like she was trying to make a decision. A few moments later she looked at Clarke and nodded again.

"Ok. Let's go."

Only the sound of a bad (but admittedly catchy) pop song fills the car. Clarke kept stealing glances at the brunette next to her and Lexa kept her eyes looking out of the passenger window. She could feel the blonde's eyes on her but refused to look over. She couldn't. Her thoughts were too busy trying to make sense of the girl. Had she misjudged her?

"Aren't you hot?" The blonde asks suddenly causing Lexa's head to turn.

"I'm sorry?"

"Aren't you hot in those long sleeves? I feel like I'm melting and I have a tank top on."

Lexa instantly looks down at her arms and begins mindlessly playing with the bottom of sleeves trying to push them further down. "Oh, um. No, I'm not." She pauses. "I um… I have poor circulation so I'm kind of always cold."

Clarke narrows her eyes at the girl. The light sweat she sees on the girl's forehead tells another story but Clarke doesn't push the issue. The don't say anything else on the way to the hospital.

"Lexa!" Charlotte yelled excitedly, sitting up a bit on her bed, once she saw the girl enter room behind Clarke. Lexa smiled brightly and made her way over to the girl giving her a light hug.

"Hey Charlotte. I sure have missed you, kiddo. How's it going?" She asks as she sits on the bed. The young girl shrugs. "I'm ok. I sleep a lot, it's really boring."

"Sleep is good. Resting helps your body." Clarke states simply.

Charlotte rolls her eyes playfully, "I knoooooow, Clarke." To which Clarke merely responds by sticking her tongue out at the girl. Lexa can't help but giggle at the interaction. These two have obviously been spending a lot of time together. She almost feels bad for intruding on their visit.

Lexa looks over at the small table by the bed and see a pile of papers and crayons. "Looks like you're keeping up on your art." Charlotte nods happily. "Clarke comes everyday and we draw and color. It's my favorite part of the day! Wanna see my drawings?" Lexa grabs the papers and hands them to the girl. "I was hoping you'd show me!"

Clarke sits in the chair on the other side of the bed and watches as Charlotte excitedly tells Lexa about each and every drawing. Lexa of course, gives the girl her full attention, complimenting and asking questions about every piece. Watching Lexa interact with children is one of Clarke's favorite things. It's the only time Clarke sees the brunette let her guard down and make herself completely available to someone. Her eyes are always soft and her voice is almost melodic. And her smile. God, her smile. It's so genuine and completely lights up the room.

"Charlotte, these are all incredible. You've improved so much!" Lexa gushes.

Charlotte's smile is bright. "You haven't even seen the best one Lexa."

Charlotte places her last drawing into Lexa's hands. "Wonder Woman!" Charlotte yells. Lexa's mouth drops and her eyes immediately look up to find Clarke. _"_ _She kept her promise,"_ Lexa thinks and smiles at the blonde. Clarke returned the smile instantly. "I love it, Charlotte. It's perfect." Lexa hands the drawing back to the excited girl.

As soon as Charlotte places her drawing down she begins coughing uncontrollably. Lexa stands quickly, fear in her eyes as Clarke moves over to the young girl and rubs circles on her back. "You're okay, sweetie." Clarke soothes. After a few moments, the coughing slows, and Charlotte removes her hands from her mouth. Clarke wipes the small tears from the girl's face "You're ok." She repeats staring in the young girl's eyes.

"Clarke." Lexa whispers. Clarke turns to face the brunette and sees her eyes fixed on the girl's hands. Clarke follows her eyes and sees the blood. She immediately grabs a paper towel and hits the call button on the bed, beckoning a nurse.

Moments later, Clarke and Lexa are standing outside the room looking through the window as the doctors assist Charlotte. Clarke looks over at Lexa and sees the worry on her face. She has to fight the urge not to place a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"She's stable." The doctor says as he exits the room. "We gave her something to sleep so she can rest now. You two can come back tomorrow ok." Clarke nods. "Ok, thanks Dr. Jackson." He nods and walks away.

Clarke and Lexa walk back into the room to gather their things. After she swings her backpack on, Lexa runs her hand down Charlotte's sleeping face. She looks over and notices Clarke writing a note. Clarke notices Lexa's questioning eyes. "When she falls asleep before we can say goodbye, I write her a note. Just so she has something to wake up to and knows I'll see her tomorrow." She explains before placing the note on the bedside table. Clarke leans down and lightly kisses the top of her head. "See you tomorrow, sweet girl."

Clarke and Lexa soon find themselves back in the car. She surprised when it's Lexa who breaks the silence.

"She's not getting any better is she?" Lexa asks quietly. Her eyes once again, staring out the window.

Clarke sighs sadly. "No."

Lexa nods slightly and let's out a deep breath. She begins to nervously pull at her sleeves again before speaking. "You surprise me." Her voice is quiet and timid. Clarke turns briefly to look at her. "What do mean?" She asks. Lexa turns to look at the driver. "With Charlotte. You surprise me. She seems to really like you and she's never had many people to count on."

Clarke nods and pulls up in front of Lexa's house, putting the car in park. "I told you she has me now. I care about her, Lexa. I'm not going to let her down." Clarke can see in Lexa's eyes that the girl believes her.

"Yeah, well thanks. Thanks for being there for her and for not breaking your promise. Visiting her, spending time with her… that's not part of your community service obligations. You don't have to do it. But you do anyway…" Lexa locks eyes with blue ones. "I'm just… I'm surprised by you, Clarke."

"You're only surprised because you don't know me" she says softly not breaking eye contact before she continues, "You've chosen not to get to know me."

Lexa nods. "Maybe I should change that."

Clarke smiles. "Maybe you should."


	5. Chapter 5

Clarke is officially half way through her community service and is currently sitting in Mr. Kane's office to go over her progress. She can't believe how quickly the past month and half has gone by.

"Well Clarke, I must say, we've all been quite pleased with you and your work thus far. Lexa, in particular seems very impressed. She even tells me you've gone 'above and beyond' in other areas outside of the art room. Although, she didn't elaborate on what those were."

Clarke was smiling. The fact that Lexa had been impressed and even complimented her caused light butterflies in her stomach.

"Clarke?" Mr. Kane says snapping Clarke out of her Lexa-daze. "Oh, sorry Mr. Kane. Um, I'm glad to hear that and I'm very happy here. It's been a great experience so far."

"Glad to hear you feel that way. More and more children seem to be signing up for art and they seem to really like you. I know I've personally enjoyed seeing the colorful creations around the center." He says smiling at her.

"They've been great. Sad to say though, supplies are running thin. We may need to start painting on the walls with ketchup." She laughs lightly. Mr. Kane nods. "Yeah, unfortunately the budget is set for now and we don't have anything to put towards the art room until next fiscal year." Clarke sits up a little straighter, "With all do respect Mr. Kane, we won't have any supplies by then." Mr. Kane sits back in his chair and smiles sadly at the girl. "I understand Clarke, and I'm sorry but my hands are tied."

Clarke sits quietly for a moment. There has to be something that can be done. Suddenly, it comes to her. "What if we raised the money ourselves? Had a fundraiser?"

He smiles at the girl. "If you can put in the work and get it organized yourself, I have no objections."

Clarke stands and extends her hand to him. "I can do it, sir. Thank you." He stands and shakes her hand. "I believe you can Ms. Griffin. Keep me posted."

Clarke nods and makes her way out of the room.

Clarke gleefully enters the staff break room where she find Lexa sitting there. They've been talking a bit more the past couple weeks ever since Lexa came with her to visit Charlotte the first time. In fact, Lexa had accompanied her a few more times (much to hers and Charlotte's delight) when she didn't have to work at the cafe. Although their conversations never really got too personal, Clarke was grateful that they seemed to be making progress.

"Hey Lexa." Clarke says as she sits down and opens a bag a chips. Quickly offering the bag over to share.

"Hello Clarke. Thanks" she replies taking a chip. "How'd your review go?"

"It went really well. Thanks for saying positive things to Mr. Kane. Hopefully the judge will be happy with my progress too."

Lexa shakes her head. "You don't need to thank me, Mr. Kane asked me how you were doing and I answered honestly. You're the one who did the work."

Clarke smiled. "Well, still. I appreciate it." Lexa lightly smiles and nods. A few moments of silence passes. Not long ago, sitting in the same room, in silence with the each other had been extremely awkward. Now, they can sort of, coexist in silence comfortably and it has given Clarke courage to speak to the girl without fear of upsetting her.

"So, in my review Mr. Kane and I talked about the deplenishing art room supplies and after a short discussion on the budget I asked to put on a fundraiser to raise money." Lexa's eyes shot up from her book. "You what?" She asks.

"I want to put together a fundraiser to raise money for the art room. Mr. Kane said he'll support me if I can do the work and get it organized."

"Do you think you can do it?" Lexa asks taking another one of Clarke's chips.

"I know I can…" she then smirks at Lexa. Lexa arches her eyebrow. "What Clarke?" Clarke smiles and looks into her eyes. "I know I can get it organized, but it would be a lot easier if you would help me. You know this world better than me and I would really love to work on this together."

Lexa leans back and sighs. "I'm really busy Clarke. Between school, work at the cafe and here I don't have a lot of free time." Clarke shakes her head "Right, right. Of course. That's ok." Clarke slouches in her chair defeated. Lexa doesn't know what it is about this girl but she looks and sounds defeated Lexa can't help but want to make it better.

"Ugh. Fine, I'll help you." She can feel Clarke's smile before she sees it.

"Really?" The blonde asks hesitantly. Lexa nods. "Yeah. I'll help you Clarke." Clarke claps her hands excitedly "Yay!" Lexa giggles softly at the girl's reaction before standing up.

"I gotta get back out there. See you later." She then proceeds to knock her arm on the corner of the table. "Ow!"

Clarke stands in concern. "You ok?" She walks to stand beside the girl but the brunette quickly steps back. "I'm fine. I uh… I hit my funny bone."

Clarke rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. "Please stop lying to me." She says seriously. "Excuse me?" Lexa glares at her, hoping the blonde takes the hint and stops. But Clarke stands her ground. "You heard me Lexa, stop lying to me. Look, if you're hurting yourself you can tell me. I can help."

Lexa's mouth drops open. "What?! You think I'm hurting myself?!" Clarke takes a step back. She's never seen Lexa so angry. "Seriously Clarke, you have NO idea what you're talking about. I would never hurt myself. So. Back. Off."

Clarke should back off. She really should, but her concern for the girl outweighs her logic at the moment. She takes a deep breath and looks directly into the girl's eyes. "You sound a lot like someone trying to keep their self-harm a secret."

Lexa's eyes fill with angry tears. She's literally shaking while she stares at the girl. "Fuck you, princess." She turns to walk away but is stopped when Clarke grabs her arm. She winces and yanks her arm back. She stands face to face with the determined blonde, her anger boiling over, "FINE!" Lexa suddenly begins rolling up her sleeves and Clarke steps back and gasps.

That was not what she was expecting. "Lexa…" her voice is soft and concerned. She approaches the girl slowly, her finger lightly tracing over her arms. Those aren't cuts like Clarke had suspected to see. Those were burns. Perfect circular burns. "Cigarette burns?" Clarke questions quietly, not expecting an answer.

They both jump away from each other when Clarke's phone rings. Clarke grabs her phone off the table and sighs. "It's my mom." She says. Lexa quickly rolls her sleeves back down and begins to walk away when Clarke gently grabs her hand. "Wait." she pleads. Lexa nods and Clarke swipes to answer her phone.

"Hey mom, can I call you ba-..." Her mouth drops open. "What?" Clarke's voice cracks and tears are quickly forming in her eyes. Lexa moves closer to the girl, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I'll be right there." Clarke's says quickly as she ends the call. Her hand is shaking as she places the phone in her pocket, tears are freely falling now.

"Clarke?"

Clarke takes a deep breath and her tear-ridden blue eyes meet the green ones of Lexa before speaking,

"Charlotte is gone."


	6. Chapter 6

_Ten._

There were ten people at Charlotte's funeral. Clarke and her parents, Mr. Kane, two doctors, two nurses, Charlotte's social worker and Lexa. Charlotte's drug-addicted parents were obviously absent and Clarke couldn't help but wonder if it's because they didn't know, they were in jail/rehab or… and this option made Clarke's blood boil… they did know and chose not to come.

She sees the priest's mouth moving but she doesn't bother trying to listen. Clarke is focusing her hearing on the rustling of the leaves while she stares at that casket. Anger fills her body. There shouldn't be any need for caskets that small. That child should not be dead and her body should not have to be buried in an unmarked plot, in a government-owned cemetery. They shouldn't have to be here.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she sees the casket begin moving downward.

"Wait!" She can feel all eyes on her as she walks over the casket and runs her fingers lightly over the top. She takes a deep breath and reaches into her small purse pulling out a box of crayons. With a shaking hand, she places them on top of the casket.

"Goodbye, sweet girl." She whispers before hastily wiping the tears off her cheeks and sternly walking away. Mrs. Griffin makes a point to follow her daughter when Lexa places a hand on her arm.

"I'll go Mrs. Griffin."

It took a few moments for Lexa to catch up to the blonde and when she does, she doesn't say anything. She doesn't know what to say. So, they just walk side by side in silence until they reach the car. Lexa quickly steps in front of tear-ridden Clarke, putting her hand out in front of the blonde. Understanding, Clarke places her keys in the brunette's hand and made her way to the passenger side.

Clarke was grateful when Lexa drove them to a nearby park and not home. Clarke wasn't ready to be around anybody else and somehow Lexa knew that. They made their way out of the vehicle and continued their walk, the only sound being the wind and Clarke's occasional sobs.

Lexa isn't sure how long they've been walking when Clarke breaks the silence.

"I broke a promise." Her voice cracked.

Lexa glances over to the girl. "What do you mean?" Her voice is soft and compassionate. She notices the blonde start crying harder and leads her to sit on a nearby bench.

"I broke a p-promise to Ch-Charlotte." She says in between sobs. "She s-said she knew she wasn't g-getting any b-better. S-she knew she w-was dying…" Lexa places her hand on Clarke's leg trying to offer up some sort of comfort to the girl as she continues to struggle through her words. "She was s-scared… scared of d-dying a-alone. I promised her I'd be t-there… I p-promised she w-wouldn't b-be a-alone."

Clarke's crying was uncontrollable now and Lexa was worried about the girl being able to breathe. Lexa didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the blonde, rubbing soft circles on her back. They sat like that until she felt the other girl's breathing become steady and the sobs subside. She pulls herself away gently, sure to keep an arm around the girl's shoulder. Looking straight into blue eyes Lexa offered a soft smile.

"Clarke, listen to me. You had no way of knowing when she was going to go. You can't beat yourself up." She lifted her hand to remove a loose strand of blonde hair out of the girl's face before continuing. "You made the last month and a half of Charlotte's life worthwhile. I've known her for over a year and had never seen her so happy. YOU made her happy, Clarke. YOU made her feel loved and that's really all she ever wanted."

This time when Lexa smiles she get's one in return. "Thank you, Lexa." The brunette nods as the blonde rests her head on her shoulder.

They had spent about in an hour sitting on that bench. Lexa's arm never left Clarke's shoulders and for the first time in days Clarke felt like she would be ok. Like the sadness and guilt weren't going to suffocate her.

"Are you coming over to my place?" Clarke asks as they approach her car. "My parents invited Mr. Kane over too. I think they are ordering food… And uh..." She paused looking at the brunette who once again made her way to the drivers side. "I uh, would really like it if you came."

Lexa hesitated. " _You're getting too close to her"_ she warned herself. But looking into hopeful blue eyes, she couldn't say no. "Ok." She says, getting into the car.

"Ok?"

"Yes Clarke. Besides, I never turn down free food." She smirked before turning on the car and putting it in drive. She swears she heard a small laugh come from the passenger seat.

When they arrive at the Griffin house they find the adults sitting around the dinner table surrounded by multiple pizza boxes.

"Oh girls, good! Come eat." Mrs. Griffin states as she stands to get two more plates. Lexa takes a seat near Mr. Kane and looks up to Clarke who's still standing.

"I'm just going to run to the restroom. Be right back." Clarke says with a small smile. Lexa nods in acknowledgment as turns her attention to the food in front of her.

"Thank you for the pizza." Lexa says as she grabs a slice.

"Anytime, sweetie. Thanks for taking care of Clarke today. And for putting a smile on her face. I haven't seen one in days." Mrs. Griffin says while pouring her a glass of lemonade.

Lexa lightly blushes and nods. Mr. Griffin, sensing Lexa was getting uncomfortable, changes the subject.

"So Lexa, Clarke tells me that you work at the Dropship Cafe."

"Yes, sir. Been there for about 6 months now."

"And you volunteer full time at the AYRC and you go to school?" Mr. Griffin asks with a hint of surprise and awe in his voice. Lexa nods affirmatively.

"And she's an honor student." Mr. Kane adds. Causing another blush from the brunette.

Mrs. Griffin smiles at the young woman. "Wow. You're quite the busy girl. That's all very impressive Lexa."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Please, call me Abby" Mrs. Griffin says, causing an unexpected laugh out of Mr. Kane. "Good luck with that one, Abby. I've been trying to get her to call me Marcus for almost two years now… Now, where is the little boys room?" Mrs. Griffin points down the hall and stands to show him the way to the restroom, leaving only Mr. Griffin and Lexa at the table.

"You know Lexa, Clarke is really enjoying her time at the center . She seems to think

very highly of you and I must say, after spending time with you today, I can see why."

Lexa smiles. "Thank you, sir. I'll be honest with you, I had my doubts about Clarke when she started." Unbeknownst to both of them, Clarke was on her way back into the dining room when the sound of her name caused her to stop. She listened as Lexa continued, "We've had some bad experiences with court-ordered volunteers. But your daughter… she's really surprised me." Lexa looks down at her pizza sadly. "I'll be sad to see her go when her 90 days are done."

Mr. Griffin notices blonde hair from around the corner and chuckles. "Something tells me my daughter won't be going anywhere." His statement causes Clarke to come around the corner and back into the dining room before her father says anything else. "Hey, sorry I took so long." She says as she takes a seat next to Lexa and immediately begins eating. She glances up at her father and offers him a shy smile. He smiles back, realizing now exactly how special this brunette was to his daughter.

After they finished their dinner, the adults adjourned to the living room and Lexa was helping Clarke with the dishes.

"Thanks." Clarke said as Lexa handed her the final dry plate. She placed it in the cabinet and turned to look back at the girl "Would you like to hang out for a bit? Maybe watch a movie in my room?" Lexa looked at her watch. "Umm.. yeah, ok. I have time for a movie. I have to get home before 9 though." Clarke smiles. "Awesome. Don't worry, I'll get you home before 9. Come on."

She leads the girl upstairs and into her bedroom. While Clarke grabs her laptop of her desk and begins opening up Netflix, Lexa begins walking around her room, admiring all the canvas hanging on the walls.

"Wow. This is amazing." Lexa gasps as she stares a one of Clarke's galaxy paintings.

Clarke smiles. "Surprised I can do more than superheroes and safari animals huh?"

Lexa head snaps to look at the blonde. "What? No, that's not -" she was interrupted by Clarke's laughter. "I'm just messing with you Lexa. Thank you for the compliment. That one is one of my favorites."

"It's beautiful. I love the stars."

"Me too." Clarke smiles before patting the place beside her on the bed. "Come on, come sit. Let's pick something to watch." Lexa walks over and sits down, back against the headboard. Once settled, she looks over to Clarke's bedside table and smiles. Sitting there, in a simple frame is a familiar Wonder Woman drawing. She lightly traces her fingertips over it.

"How about this one?" Lexa turns her attention back at Clarke who is pointing at a random movie on the screen.

"Sure."

Clarke hits play and leans back. She can't help to notice how her shoulder is touching Lexa's. She also can't help to notice that Lexa doesn't seem to mind.

About an hour into the movie, Clarke realizes she hasn't really been paying attention. She's been recounting the events past few days and how so much has happened in such a short period of time. Her thoughts eventually settled on today and how it started out as one of the worst days of her life but ended up being ok. She believes she's done more healing in the past 12 hours than she had the past 5 days. Clarke knew it was all because of the girl sitting beside her and she relished in the closeness of her right this second.

"Hey Lexa?" She says softly

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming today. For being there for Charlotte and… for me."

Lexa smiles and places her hand on the blondes thigh. "Of course."

Clarke moves her hand to the hand on her leg and begins to lightly touch the hem of Lexa's sleeve.

"I haven't forgotten about your arms." She says carefully, looking up to meet green eyes. "We still need to talk about that."

Lexa sighs and instinctively begins pulling her sleeves down further, her gaze moving away from Clarke's eyes and towards the galaxy painting on the wall.

"I know."


	7. Chapter 7

Clarke is tapping her pencil lightly on the table to the rhythm of the song playing on her iPod. She's trying to make sense of this math problem in front of her for the past 20 minutes but she's exhausted. She's been in the library every extra minute she has trying to get caught up on the school work she ignored after Charlotte's death.

" _Trigonometry is useless"_ she thinks. She continues to stare at the equation when her concentration is interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. She jumps slightly at the touch but her shoulders quickly ease when she looks up and meets her favorite pair of green eyes. She takes her headphones out and smiles.

"Hey, sorry I scared you. I tried to get your attention but you couldn't hear me." Lexa said pointing at the earphones.

"Don't worry about it. Sometimes I get into a zone and nothing else seems to exist."

Lexa smiles. "Mind if I join you?"

"Please." Clarke says as she clears some of her papers off the small table to make room for Lexa's books.

"Thanks."

Once they're both settled, a smile is shared before both of their attentions are back to their work. Clarke begins to put her earphones back in when she suddenly stops and looks up at Lexa. Feeling eyes on her, Lexa looks up at the blonde curiously. She watches as Clarke places her iPod in the middle of the table and takes one of the earbuds in her hand, shyly lifting it up and offering it to Lexa. The brunette smiles at the gesture before accepting the white earbud. She places it in her left ear as the blonde placed hers in her right. The indie folk music fills their ears as they get to work.

They sat working for about in an hour. Their comfortable silence eventually interrupted by Clarke triumphantly closing her math book. "Thank god" she sighs.

Lexa looks up to her and smiles. "All done?"

Clarke nods and rubs her eyes. "Just in time too, my eyes were starting to go crossed. I hate Trig."

"Yeah, it's the worst" Lexa agrees as she closes her book.

"You done too?"

"Yeah... for now anyway. I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Her voice is hesitant which automatically causes Clarke to worry.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing bad, I promise. I just...uh... have an idea. It's about the fundraiser for the art program."

Clarke lets out a small sigh of relief. "Ok. Let's hear it."

Lexa sits a bit straighter in her seat. "Well, what if we do it in honor of Charlotte? Dedicate the art room to her. I already talked to Mr. Kane and he agreed that we can rename the room itself. I was thinking "Charlotte's Studio". What do you think?"

Clarke doesn't say anything at first. She stares directly in nervous, green eyes and smiles brightly. Everytime Clarke thinks she can't like this girl more, she does something like this.

"Clarke?" Her voice sounds nervous.

"I LOVE the idea. It's perfect, Lexa."

Lexa leans back in her chair and let's out a breath. "Great."

Clarke glances at the clock above Lexa's head. "We better get to the center. Want a ride?" Lexa nods affirmatively and they pack up their belongings and head out of the library.

The center was busy that day and it was 7:30 by the time Clarke and Lexa locked up the doors for the night. Lexa told Clarke she didn't have to wait for her but the blonde had been insistent. Besides, it's become routine for Clarke to drive Lexa home in the evenings and she didn't want to miss an opportunity to spend more time alone with her.

"Do you wanna come over for dinner? It's Taco Tuesday at the Griffin household." Clarke asked as she began driving. She glanced at the brunette and noticed her checking her watch.

"Thanks, but I can't. It's already getting late and I need to get home before 9." Her voice is soft with a hint of sadness.

Clarke sighs. "Right… Home by 9." Clarke grips the steering wheel. She looks towards the brunette to find her glancing out of the window, mindlessly playing with her sleeves again. " _Enough is enough"_ Clarke thinks to herself as she turns the car. Lexa turns to her confused as to why they've changed directions. "Clarke?" She didn't receive an answer as Clarke pulls the car into the park and shuts off the engine.

"Why are we here?"

Clarke unbuckles her seatbelt so she can turn her body to look directly at the brunette. "I'm done avoiding the subject we've been avoiding. We need to talk."

Lexa slouches in her seat. "Clarke…"

Sensing an argument, Clarke interrupts her. "Lexa, no more excuses. We need to talk. You're being hurt by someone. Now I have some assumptions on who it could be but you need to talk to me. Let me help you." She knows she sounds desperate but she's been losing sleep over this because she's been so worried about this girl.

"You can't fix everything Clarke. You don't understand."

Clarke sighs. "Then help me understand."

"It's a long story..."

"I have time."

Lexa looks out the window defeated. She knows she's not going to win this argument so she unbuckles her seat belt and opens the door. Clarke soon follows her out of the car and they find themselves walking towards a familiar bench.

When they sit, Clarke tries to make eye contact with the girl beside her but green eyes are fixated on the night sky. Clarke looks up as well, sending a silent prayer into space that whatever it is that Lexa is about to tell her, that she would be able to help her friend. A moment later, a soft voice breaks the silence.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was 3. I don't really remember them." Lexa moves her eyes from the sky to look into the blue one's next to her.

"They were both only children and both sets of grandparents had died before I was born. There wasn't anyone else to take me in, so I got placed into the system. At first, it was fine. I mean, being only three there was a lot I didn't understand about the whole situation. I remember social workers telling me not to worry, that'd I'd be adopted soon. ' _In matter of days'_ , one said." She scoffs. "Well, days became weeks, weeks became months and months became years... I was 6 when I gave up hope of ever being adopted. People want babies, not toddlers or school-aged children. Definitely not teenagers." She shrugs her shoulders and sits back, looking back up at the sky. "It's okay though, I've accepted it. This life, one in the system, it's all I've ever really known. I've had dozens of foster parents... some good, some bad. I've lived in group homes - those are a nightmare."

Lexa takes a deep, shaky breath. She can feel the tears filling her eyes. She's never really talked to anyone else about this and now she remembers why. She hates feeling weak.

She must of been silent for longer than she realized because suddenly she feels an encouraging hand on her thigh. She wills herself to face the blonde before she continues.

"The place I'm living at now is the worst. I've never experienced anything like it. Um… my foster mom, Nia, she is… uh… well, she is not a very pleasant person." She watches as Clarke's eyes narrow and jaw clenches.

"I hate it there, but I don't want to go back to go back to a group home either. I'm stuck. That's why I work so hard and so much. I need to save money so I can get emancipated and honestly, I don't mind working a lot. The more I work, the less time I'm at that house. As long as I'm back by 9 every night, Nia usually leaves me alone...Usually" She's pulling at her sleeves again. "Unless she's been drinking. If she's drunk I become her favorite ashtray."

A single tear falls and she quickly turns her face away from Clarke wiping it away. Clarke is fighting to keep her breathing steady and the tears that formed in her own eyes from falling. She needed to be strong for Lexa.

"Lexa?" The brunette doesn't turn. "Lexa, please look at me." Clarke tries again. When she finally does turn around Clarke feels a tug in her chest at seeing Lexa so upset.

"Lexa, this is NOT ok. What she's doing is wrong, not to mention illegal. Listen, we can talk to my parents and -"

"No! Clarke, please, promise me you won't say anything to anyone. Nia said she would block my emancipations proceedings if I report her. Please, I just need a little more time."

"She's hurting you, Lex." The nickname fell out of her mouth before she could stop it. Clarke couldn't keep a couple tears from falling onto her cheeks as she reached and took Lexa's hand in her own. She was relieved when Lexa gripped her hand back. "She's hurting you."

"I'm ok. I can handle it."

Clarke shook her head. "I don't like this. We should tell someone." Lexa squeezed her hand tighter. "I just need a little more time to save money. Please Clarke… Please."

Clarke looks away from her eyes and down to their joined hands. She takes her free hand gently runs it down the girl's arm, lightly tugging the sleeve when she reaches the bottom.

"Ok. I won't tell anyone. You can trust me."

Lexa lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you… And I do trust you, Clarke." Clarke offers her a sad smile. "I know how hard that is for you."

Lexa wipes her eyes again before she looks down at her watch. "It's 8:40" she says sadly looking up at Clarke. The blonde nods and stands up, pulling Lexa up with her. With a reassuring squeeze they walk back to the car.

When Clarke got home after dropping Lexa off, she sat in her driveway trying to process what she had just learned. Her head and heart were both aching as she was agonizing over what to do. She knows what she _should_ do, she should talk to her parents. But she can't, she promised Lexa she wouldn't tell anyone and she refuses to break that girl's trust. But...

" _I can't leave you in danger, Lexa."_ she whispers to herself, leaning her head on the steering wheel. " _I don't know what to do."_

Clarke shakes her head and checks the mirror to make sure it's not too obvious that she had been crying. She didn't need her parents asking questions tonight.

She'll figure out what to do in the morning.

 _Clarke wouldn't have until morning to figure it out._


	8. Chapter 8

_Clarke wouldn't have until morning to figure it out._

When the doorbell rang, she had only been home for an hour and was sitting in the living room with her parents watching some reality show. "Who could that be at this hour?" Her mother had said as Clarke made her way to the entry way. She didn't know what she expected when she opened the door, but what she found made her stomach drop to the floor and her eyes instantly fill with tears.

Standing there, leaning against her door frame, was Lexa. Her beautiful, sweet, Lexa. Her face was bloodied and bruised, one of her beautiful green eyes was swollen shut, the other red from tears. She was shaking and Clarke wasn't sure if it was because of fear, pain or adrenaline. Not that it mattered, because as soon Lexa looked at her, the brunette slid down the door frame and onto her knees, unable to stand anymore.

"MOM! DAD!" She went to her knees trying to cradle her friend. She could hear her parents gasp behind her as they saw the scene in front of them. She feels herself being pulled away while her father lifts Lexa up. "Get her on the couch" she hears her mother say. "Clarke call 911 and go get my medical bag from upstairs." Clarke hears her but she can't move. She's stands frozen, watching her father lay Lexa down gently. "Clarke!" Her daze is broken and she runs up the stairs to her parents' bedroom, calling 911 on the way.

 _Beep… Beep… Beep_

Lexa can hear the steady sound clearly. She tries to open her eyes but is only successful with one, the other, is refusing to open. Everything hurts. Every breath she takes causes a stabbing pain her side and her head is pounding. She wiggles her feet, just to make sure can. It's when she flexes her fingers she realizes there is a hand holding her own. She shifts her head slowly and can see a flash of blonde hair sprawled on her bed.

"Clarke" her voice is weak but she thinks the blonde heard her. Clarke's head rises and she looks up to her. "Hey you." She says standing above the brunette, offering her a soft smile. "You ok? Do you need anything?"

"It hurts to breathe."

"Yeah, it's gonna for a while. You have two broken ribs." Clarke looks at her sadly. "I'll go find a nurse to get you some pain meds."

"No." Lexa grips her hand. "Don't leave me."

Clarke smiles and brushes the girl's hair out of her face. "I'm not going anywhere." They stare at each other for a moment when a couple tears fall from Clarke's eyes. "I was really scared."

Lexa squeezes her hand. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I shouldn't have let you go back in that house." Lexa feels her own eye filling with tears. "Clarke…"

"I should've helped you."

"You were doing what I asked."

"Yeah, but I should've told my parents as soon as dropped you off. I know you didn't want me to, but I would much rather you hate me for the rest of my life than you not be here at all... She could've killed you, Lex."

"But she didn't, Clarke. I got away. I'm right here." She emphasized with another squeeze to the blondes hand.

"How? How'd you get away? What happened last night?"

Lexa takes a deep breath and turns her hand so she can lace her fingers with Clarke's. Once she sees blue eyes locked onto hers, she begins recounting the previous night's events:

 _Clarke had just dropped her off and it's 8:55 when she walks through the door. She began to make her way upstairs when Nia started yelling in her direction. "Girl! Get in here!" Lexa rolled her eyes as she turned around and made her way to the living room. She lets out a sigh when she sees all the empty bottles scattered throughout the room._

" _Yeah?"_

 _Nia moves from the window she was just peeking through, her steps unsteady. "Who's blondie?"_

" _No one."_

 _Nia takes a step closer to her, waving the bottle in her hand. "Don't lie to me you little dyke. Is she a new girlfriend? Huh? What have I told you about that?! It's SICK and goes against nature!"_

" _I'm not listening to this shit again." Lexa states, turning around to make her way out of the living room but is stopped by a bottle flying past her head and shattering against the wall beside her. She lets out a small yell and jumps back._

 _When she turned to face the woman, she's feels immediate pain. It happened so quickly she didn't have time to react or defend herself. Nia slammed her fist into her again and again and Lexa could taste blood in her mouth and her eye swelling shut._

 _She is suddenly pushed harshly against the wall and after one more swift punch to her face she and stumbles onto the ground, falling straight on to the broken glass left by the shattered vodka bottle. She can hear the homophobic slurs fall from Nia's mouth as she kicks her repeatedly in the stomach. She swears she could hear the crack of one of her ribs. When Nia went in for another kick, Lexa grabbed the woman's leg and pulled, causing the woman to lose balance and fall backwards. She hit her head on the coffee table on the way down and was now out cold._

 _Lexa moves as fast as she can, crawling towards the front door. She lifts her hand up to the doorknob, lifting herself up off the floor once she takes hold of it. "Ahh" she yells in agony. She's never felt pain like this before. She steadies herself once she's standing and takes an agonizing step out of the house. Then another. And another. Eventually she was walking down the street, and notes that her adrenaline must be pumping because she's able to pick up the pace. She needs help._

 _She needs Clarke._

 _It felt like she had walked the longest half mile of her life when she finally arrived at the Griffin's driveway. With every last bit of strength she limped the final 20 feet to the door. Lifting a shaky hand she presses the doorbell and leans against the door frame. She made it._

Lexa finishes her story with a small sob. "I don't know how I did it Clarke. I don't know how I got to you."

Clarke's own tears freely fall as she lifts their joined hands and lays a gentle kiss on top of the brunettes. "I don't know either, Lexa. I'm just so grateful you did." She moves her free hand up to wipe a tear off of Lexa's cheek and she feels the girl lean her head into hand. She lightly cups her face and looks deep into her one good eye.

"She's never going to hurt you again. I promise you, Lex."

More tears fall but she's able to soft, weak smile to the blonde.

"I'm really glad you're going to be ok." Clarke squeezes hand and kisses it again.

"I'm really glad you're here, Clarke."


	9. Chapter 9

Lexa is staring out of her hospital room window, waiting for the doctor to come in and (hopefully) tell her she can be discharged today. Discharged to where, she had no idea. As much as she hates being in the hospital, she can't deny it's been nice to have a safe bed and consistent meals. She just hopes the next place she goes isn't too horrible.

She had a feeling that she'd be ok though. Especially since she had the Griffin clan on her side. She had shared her story with Mr. and Mrs. Griffin shortly after Clarke and they told her immediately not to worry. And for some reason, Lexa believed them when they said it.

The Griffin's had been working along with Lexa's social worker, Indra, on all the legal matters concerning Nia. The woman had been arrested early Wednesday morning and her hearing was in a couple days. Lexa couldn't help but feel extremely anxious at the thought of having to see her in the courtroom. Lexa knew she had to be strong, not show weakness. Nia feeds off weakness.

She shakes her thoughts away and takes a deep breath. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was alone right now and it was an odd feeling.

She's been in the hospital for four days and was only ever alone a handful of times. Including when she forced Clarke to go home on day two.

Lexa couldn't help but laugh at the memory:

" _Clarke, just go home. I'll be fine.."_

" _I told you, I'm not leaving your side."_

" _You've been here over 48 hours straight. And I so, SO appreciate it, but you need to go home and at least shower."_

 _Clarke's mouth drops in mock offence. "What are you saying?"_

" _I'm saying your smell is making me feel worse."_

 _Clarke laughs loudly and Lexa decides she loves that sound._

" _Ok, fiiiiiiiiiine. I'll be back soon."_

 _Clarke was back in less than two hours._

"Why are you smirking like that?" Lexa looks away from the window to see Clarke entering her room holding her favorite frozen coffee beverage from The Dropship.

"Oh, it's nothing." She says, smirking even wider.

"Uh huh, sure. That's your 'making fun of Clarke' smirk. But, it's your release day so I'll let it slide." She says as she hands over the drink.

"Thank you. You didn't have to go over there just because I said I was craving it."

"I don't mind." Clarke replies with a smile as she sits in her chair beside the bed. She automatically takes Lexa's hand in her own. Lexa smiles at the action. Clarke holding her hand has become second nature now and she doesn't think the blonde has been in this room longer than 30 seconds without holding it. And honestly, she's more than okay with that.

"So, you ready to get out of this place?"

"I'm so ready." She says quietly, taking a sip of her coffee and looking away from the girl.

Clarke, senses something is off. "You don't sound ready. What's wrong?"

Meeting her eyes again, Lexa releases a small sigh. "It's just… I don't know where I'm going when I leave here. And, I'm worried. Indra said 'she was working on some options'... whatever that means."

"We can help you answer that." Mr. Griffin announces as he, Mrs. Griffin and Indra walk into the hospital room. Mrs. Griffin walks straight over to Lexa's bedside doing a quick examination of her eye and then her ribs, causing a small wince from Lexa.

"Pain?" Dr. Griffin asks her.

"They hurt, but I can breathe more comfortably. I'm good." She smiles "So… you have answers for me?" Her eyes darting between the three adults.

Indra steps forward. "Well, I know you want to get emancipated... That is still your goal correct?" Lexa nods. "Ok, good because I was able to pull some strings and I was able to get you a hearing in 30 days. You need to show the judge that you can financially support yourself - pay rent, buy food etc. As well as stay on top of your studies. Can you do that?"

Lexa smiles. "Yes! Yes, I've been saving and…" her excitement is cut short and her face falls. "But, I don't have enough money for an attorney yet or to pay the court fees. I'll need more than 30 days to come up with it. Especially since I can't work for a while." She feels Clarke squeeze her hand in support.

"We handled it." Mrs. Griffin suddenly says.

"What?" Lexa and Clarke ask at the same time.

Mr. Griffin smiles. "My old college roommate is an attorney. He agreed to help you, pro bono of course. And we took care of the court fees."

Lexa stares at them, mouth agape. She shakes her head. "Mr. and Mrs. Griffin, I appreciate this. Really, I do. But you don't have to do that."

"Nonsense, it's already done. No refunds." He says with a wink.

"Did you know about this?" Lexa asks to the blonde beside her. "I had no clue." Clarke responded while beaming up at her parents.

Lexa smiles at the elder Griffin's. "Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Griffin… thank you." She turns to Indra. "So, I guess I'm back to a group home for 30 days?"

"Wrong." Mrs. Griffin responds quickly. The woman takes hold of the girl's other hand that's not currently being held by her daughter. "If you'd like, we would love for you to stay with us. We have an extra room and already prepared it for you. We gathered all your belongings from Nia's and they're already at the house."

"Really? When did you guys do all that? How come I didn't know about it?" Clarke interrupts.

Mr. Griffin laughs. "Honey, it wasn't hard to keep it from you. You've barely left your current position all week." He says motioning at the girls joined hands. Causing a small blush in both. "Besides, we didn't want you to get Lexa's hopes up in case we weren't able to get a judge to approve the temporary fostering."

"So, what do you say?" Mrs. Griffin asks, bringing Lexa's attention back to her.

Lexa has remained silent throughout this whole conversation. She's at a loss for words. No one has ever gone to so much trouble for her and she's not sure how to respond. But she has to admit, living with the Griffin's for 30 days sounds nice. At least she knows she'll be safe. She looks up at Mr. and Mrs. Griffin to find them staring back at her, not with pity but with affection. She offers them a small smile before turning to the blonde beside her.

"Are you okay with this?" She asks hesitantly, biting her lip. This is Clarke's house to after all. She didn't want to impose on the girl's life more than she already has.

Clarke lets out a small laugh. "Seriously? Of course! I think this is perfect." She squeezes her hand reassuringly. Lexa smiles at her and turns back to the older Griffin's.

"I would love to stay with you. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin."

Lexa was released from the hospital about an hour after it was decided she would be living with the Griffin's and now she was walking through the door of the place she'd call home for the next 30 days. As she enters she lets out a sigh of relief. She knows she'll be okay here.

"We're going to get started on dinner. Clarke, will you show Lexa to her room please? And Lexa, honey, you should try and get some more rest. You're still healing." Mrs. Griffin says.

"Yes ma'am. And thank you, again. I just… just thank you." She smiles shyly as Mrs. Griffin walks over to her and gently hugs her. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

Lexa is watching the adults walk towards the kitchen when she feels a familiar hand hers, bringing her attention to the girl standing beside her.

"Come on." Clarke says gently as she leads Lexa up the stairs. It's a slow process. Each step consists of Lexa grunting in pain, Clarke asking her if she's okay and Lexa replying 'yes'. Eventually they make it to the top and Lexa lets out a small giggle, receiving a curious look from the blonde. "That took us way longer than it should have. Remind me to never break my ribs again." Clarke rolls her eyes, "Real funny, Lex."

They walk down the hall past Clarke's room and to the guest room. Upon entering, Lexa takes a moment to look around and take it all in. Her eyes move to the desk, where she sees all her school books. Then to the closet, where all her clothes are hanging.

Her eyes eventually land on the bed. It's definitely the biggest bed she will have ever slept in but what she can't take her eyes off of, are the four big, fluffy pillows. Clarke has been watching Lexa look around the room but worries when the girl seems fixated on the bed.

"What's wrong? Do you not like something? We can change anything you want." She rambles.

Lexa looks over to the girl and smiles. "Everything is perfect, Clarke. I'm happy. I just… nevermind."

Clarke takes her hand when she notices tears in the brunettes eyes. "No. What is it? You're crying."

"They're happy tears, I swear. It's stupid Clarke, don't worry about it."

"Lex, nothing about you is stupid. What is it?"

Lexa smiles and a single tear falls onto her cheek. "It's just the pillows."

Clarke narrows her eyes and wipes the tear off the girl's face. "The pillows? What about them?"

Lexa shakes her head. "It's just…"

Blue eyes lock on green and Lexa smiles.

"I've never had more than one pillow before."


	10. Chapter 10

It's early Monday evening and Lexa is sitting in the Griffin living room waiting for Clarke to get home. The blonde went back to school today, then had a shift at the AYRC. Clarke had wanted to come straight home after school, but Lexa convinced her to go to the rec since neither one of them had been there in over a week and the kids must miss her. She's glad Clarke listened to her and went but she can't help but miss the girl's company. And although she's been keeping herself busy all day with a project on the blonde's laptop, when she's alone, her mind wanders more and she can't get the images of the events of last week out of her mind. Nia's hearing is tomorrow and Lexa didn't know how she was going to react seeing the woman again.

Suddenly she hears keys in the lock and the front door open. She looks up from her place on the sofa to see Clarke walk in, drop her keys in the bowl beside the door and immediately make her way towards the living room.

"Hey you." Clarke says with a smile, placing her backpack on the floor and sitting beside the brunette.

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?" Clarke gently runs her fingers over Lexa's bruise by her eye. Lexa tries to hide her blush at the contact. She reaches up to grab the blonde's hand from her face. "I'm good, Clarke. Everyday is a little better."

Clarke laces their fingers together. "Good. Do you need anything?"

"No thanks, I'm good. Tell me about your day. How was school and the rec?"

"Both were fine. School is school, ya know. Raven and Octavia said they hope you feel better soon. All the kids at the rec were asking a million questions about you... I told them you were sick. They all miss you."

Lexa smiles softly. "I miss them too."

Clarke lets go of her hand to reach for her backpack and Lexa immediately misses the contact. She pulls out a binder and some of Lexa's books.

"I got your homework. Your teachers said to take your time. And also…" she pauses to open the binder and pulls out a dozen or so folded pieces of constructruction paper. She hands them to Lexa. "These are from some of the kids. They're get well soon cards."

Lexa smiles brightly as she takes the cards. "This is so sweet. This was your idea wasn't it? Was this today's art project you assigned?" She asks raising an eyebrow and smirking. "I can not confirm nor deny that allegation." The blonde responded with a wink.

Lexa takes the girl's hand again and squeezes it. "Well, thank you. For getting my homework and for these."

"You're welcome, Lex."

The stare at each other for a moment. They keep finding themselves in this position of just looking at one another until one of them breaks eye contact. This time it's Clarke who lets out a nervous breath and looks away. "So, uh, how was your day?"

"It was fine. I sat here most of the day and did some work for the fundraiser. Here, look at this."

She grabs Clarke's laptop and turns the screen towards the blonde. Clarke immediately smiles at the screen. It's a beautiful and simple webpage with Charlotte's photo and the details of the fundraiser.

"Wow. This is great." She smiles brightly at Lexa. "You did this?"

Lexa laughs. "Ha, no. Well, not the coding/techy part. I helped plan out the content. Monty, you've met him at the rec, he built the site for me." Clarke nods. "It looks amazing."

"Thanks. I also set up social media pages, check it out."

The two girls scroll through the various webpages and social media pages. Clarke's eyes dart between the computer screen and the brunettes face. Everyday, Clarke finds herself admiring this girl more and more.

Clarke's trance is broken when she sees Lexa's face grimace in pain. "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm ok. Just moved a little too quick. Sometimes sitting hurts. Maybe I should go lay down… ugh, but those stairs do not look fun." she laughs.

Clarke moved the computer to the coffee table and then patted her lap. "Come on. Lay down."

"Clarke…" Lexa says hesitantly.

Clarke rolls her eyes and takes the girl's hand. She gently pulls it until the Lexa gives in and lays her head on the blonde's lap, stretching her legs out on the sofa. Clarke's hand automatically lands in Lexa's hair, lightly running her fingers through it. She can feel Lexa relaxing into her touch and it brings a smile to her face.

They sit there in silence for a few minutes when Clarke notices the brunette biting her bottom lip and a distant look in her eyes.

"What's up?"

Lexa closes her eyes and sighs. "Just thinking about tomorrow." Clarke nods in understanding. Lexa opens her eyes to find Clarke's. "You're coming right?"

Clarke looks down at the girl and smiles. "Of course I am. I'm leaving school at lunch and I'll be at the courthouse by 12:30. It starts at 1 right?" Lexa nods and sighs. "Yeah…"

"Hey. It's going to be ok, Lexa."

Lexa bites her lip again. "I know... I know that." She reaches her hand up and waits for Clarke to lace their fingers. "Thanks. I'm uh, glad you'll be there. I don't think I could go alone. I really don't want to see her… I'm scared Clarke."

Clarke raises their joined hands to her lips and places a gentle kiss on her friends. "I know, Lex. And that's perfectly normal. But it's going to be okay, I promise. Tomorrow will be the last time you'll ever have to see her. Okay?"

Lexa nods. "Okay."

Clarke smiles and sits back more into the sofa, her fingers resuming their place in the brunette curls while the fingers on her other hand are mindlessly being played with by Lexa. "Seriously though Lex, I may need be restrained. It's going to take every ounce of my strength not to jump out of my seat and strangle that woman myself."

That earned a laugh from Lexa and Clarke decides it's her new life's mission to make her laugh as much as possible. "Control yourself there Clarke. We wouldn't want you getting arrested again." Lexa says with a wink.

A voice interrupts them from the kitchen. "Girls, dinner!"

 **12:42**

Lexa's leg is bouncing up and down uncontrollably as she sits in between Mrs. Griffin and Indra. They are sitting outside the courtroom waiting their turn. Lexa feels as if she's going to throw up but resists the urge.

 **12:45**

" _Where is Clarke?"_ She thinks to herself.

She's about to ask Mrs. Griffin to text her when she sees a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. Soon, Clarke is standing in front of her. "Whew. Sorry, I couldn't find parking."

Mrs. Griffin and Indra stand up to go stand by Mr. Griffin and the prosecuting attorney, giving the girl's a moment. Clarke sits down and takes Lexa's hand.

"Sorry I'm late." She says sincerely.

"It's ok. I'm just glad you're here now."

Clarke feels Lexa's grip tighten slightly. "You ready for this?"

Lexa lets out a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Girl's, let's go." Mr. Griffin yells from the doors.

They stand up and with a reassuring squeeze to her hand, Clarke leads them into the courtroom. As they take their seats, Clarke can feel the brunette shaking. She switches the hand that is holding the other girl's so she can place her arm around her a pull her in closer. Once she feels the girl settle into her, Clarke turns to her mother to listen to the conversation her and her father were having.

Not a minute later she feels the girl in her arms stiffen. Her head turns back around to see the brunette's eyes fixated across the room. She follows her eyes to see that Nia has just entered and is now taking her seat at the defense table. Clarke can feel her blood begin to boil as the woman blatantly stares down Lexa. Clarke tightens her arm around the girl protectively and narrows her eyes at the woman. When Nia's eyes meet her own she lifts Lexa's hand up to lips and kisses it. The woman scoffs and turns her face away from them.

Clarke turns her attention back to the girl in her arm who is once again shaking. She rubs her hand up and down her shoulder, trying to offer comfort. Eventually she feels Lexa lay her head on her shoulder and Clarke instinctively rests her head on top of the brunette's.

"Don't worry. We got this." Clarke silently whispers.

The trial didn't last long and the jury came back with the verdict quickly - 40 years in jail with no chance of parole. The quick sentencing didn't come as a surprise to her. After Lexa took the stand and recalled her story of the abuse she endured for over year, Clarke had looked at the jury and could tell Nia had no chance. She found herself beaming with pride. Lexa had been so great and confident on that stand. Clarke doesn't think she's ever met a stronger person.

But, as happy as she was with the outcome, Clarke couldn't deny how hard it was to hear the details of Lexa's abuse again. Her heart broke for her and she couldn't help the tears that fell from her face. Her mother had held her hand throughout, her own tears threatening to fall. Clarke just couldn't understand how anyone would want to hurt Lexa. Why this beautiful, caring person was dealt such a shitty life? Why did she always have to suffer?

It was when the sentence was read, and Clarke felt the girl in her arms relax that she stopped asking herself these questions. She sensed an ease and a calm in the girl that she never has before. Finally, something went right for the brunette beauty. Sure there were still going to be obstacles ahead and life is never easy. But for now, Lexa was free. And that filled Clarke's heart with more joy than anything money could buy.


	11. Chapter 11

It's officially Clarke's final week of community service. In 4 days she will no longer be required by the courts to volunteer her time at Arkadia Youth Recreation Center. Clarke can't believe how incredibly fast 90 days went. So much has happened in such a short period of time that it almost doesn't feel real. She thinks back to 3 months ago when Lexa hated her and how now, she was living in the bedroom next to her and they were… friends? Yeah, friends works.

However, things have been off with her friend recently. Lexa has been distant. Sometimes cold. There have been a couple of times where Clarke thought they had transported back to the first week they met. At first, Clarke thought it was because Lexa was just incredibly busy and most likely exhausted and stressed. The brunette had been back at school and work for the past two weeks and she had been working a lot of hours to increase her savings before her emancipation hearing next week. Clarke is trying to be understanding and give her space but she can't shake the feeling that maybe she did something to upset her. Whatever it is, she needs to fix it.

They're currently sitting in Clarke's car on their way home from the rec. Silence envelopes them. This is how it's been the past couple days; only speaking when Lexa felt it necessary. Clarke keeps glancing at the girl in the passenger seat but she is adamantly staring out of the window, avoiding Clarke's gaze. Clarke decides it's time to bite the bullet and figure out what the hell is going on.

"Lexa?"

"Yeah?" Lexa responds, eyes still fixated on the passing cars outside the window.

"Did I do something wrong? Have I upset you?"

"And what would you have done to upset me, princess?"

Clarke's jaw drops as she lets out a small gasp. "Princess? Ok, now I know you're pissed at me. Just tell me what I did so I can fix it. Please, Lexa."

"There's nothing to fix Clarke."

They pull up to the Griffin's driveway and Clarke puts the car in park and turns off the engine. She turns to Lexa expectantly. "Please Lexa."

Lexa, feeling the blonde's eyes on her lets out a breath and turns to face the girl. "Look Clarke. You're done at the rec on Friday. I'll most likely be out of your house in two weeks. There's really no reason why we have to keep… _this_ up. You'll have your regular life back soon, so you don't need to worry about me anymore."

The moment the last word was spoken the brunette was out of the car and heading into the house, leaving a very shocked Clarke staring after her. She grabs her keys and rushes into the house. Once through the door she ignores her parents sitting in the living room and bolts straight upstairs towards Lexa's room. She doesn't bother knocking when she arrives at the door and enters to find the girl sitting on the edge of her bed with her hands in her lap and her head down. She doesn't move when Clarke walks towards her.

Clarke places her hands on her hips and stands in front of the brunette. "You're an idiot." She says plainly.

"Whatever, princess."

"ENOUGH WITH THE PRINCESS SHIT! YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT WHO I AM!" Lexa's head bolts up in shock at the sound of the blonde yelling. Clarke sighs, she didn't mean to raise her voice. She makes her way to the bed and sits next to Lexa. They don't say anything for a couple of minutes, letting Clarke's anger and guilt subside.

"Lexa, will you please look at me?"

Lexa doesn't move. "Please." Clarke slowly raises her hand to the girl's chin and gently moves her head to face her. Clarke can now see the unshed tears welling up in green eyes as she stares into them. "I'm sorry I yelled."

Lexa nods as a single tear escapes down her face.

Clarke wipes the tear away and grabs the girl's hand. "Listen to me. Whatever _this_ is, as you put it, does not end on Friday and it doesn't end when you move out." Clarke makes a point to make sure her voice is steady and unwavering.

Lexa searches blue eyes, looking for anything to tell her that what Clarke is saying isn't true. When she doesn't find anything, she clears her throat to speak. "But Clarke, you have a life to get back to. A life you were very happy living before you got arrested. A life without the rec... Without me…" her voice is soft and she releases the blondes hand to stand up. "You're a good person and I've brought so much unnecessary drama into your's and your family's life. You deserve to have your normal life back. My life is never easy, and people don't stick around for long. I'm just giving you an easy way out of my life so you can go live yours."

Clarke moves quickly off the bed and stands in front the girl. She takes both hands in her own and searches her eyes until blue are locked on green.

"I don't want a way out. You are a part of my life now... A very important part and I am so happy to have you in it. When we first met, you had no problem hiding your dislike me and I was determined to change your mind because I knew then that you are special and that I wanted to know you better. I didn't put all that work in, just to leave you." Clarke pauses to wipe more tears off of the brunettes face and sees Lexa smile slightly. "Yes. We've had some difficult times the past 3 months, more than some will experience in a lifetime. But we got through it. Together." She grips her hands tightly. "You and I are connected Lexa, by powers stronger than the two of us. I'm not sure what it means but simply put, you're important to me. You're stuck with me Woods. Whether you like it or not...Okay?" She smirks at the brunette receiving a smile back. "Yeah."

Clarke pulls the girl into a hug. She smiles when she fills Lexa tighten her arms around her waist when she places a light kiss on top of her head. She can her mumbles from where Lexa's head rests on the shoulder. Clarke pulls back, arms still on the girl's shoulders. "What was that?"

"I'm still going to miss you working at the rec."

Clarke smiles. "Well, I was going to tell you on Friday but that was before you got all emo on me" Lexa lightly pushes her shoulder before placing her hand back on the blonde's waist waiting for her to continue. "I'm staying at the rec Lexa. Mr. Kane and I already worked it out. I love working there and I love those kids. You and I still have a lot of work to do on the fundraiser and I just feel like my work isn't done."

"Really?" Lexa smiles brightly.

"Yes, really."

Lexa moves closer and tightens her arms around the girl again, letting out a sigh of relief. They stand there embraced in silence for a few minutes, content just holding onto one another.

"Clarke?" Her voice is barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for staying."

Clarke is not sure whether she means at the rec or just in general but decides it doesn't matter. She tightens her hold on the girl. "Always."


	12. Chapter 12

Clarke scrunches her face in mock-disgust. "Eww, no."

Lexa rolls her eyes and giggles. "Clarke, you can't keep saying 'eww'. There are only a certain number of places I can afford and I need find something before the hearing on Wednesday."

"I know that, but I will not allow you to live with the roaches... or with those god awful puke green curtains." She says pointing at the computer screen while pretending to gag.

"Okay, okay. Don't throw up all over your computer, we'll keep looking."

It's early Saturday afternoon and they had been searching for apartments for the past hour. It ended up being a lot harder than Lexa had expected. The couple of apartments she had researched before she got hurt were long gone and now everything seemed to be out of her price range or down right disgusting.

"Any luck?" Mr. Griffin asks as he walks into the living room.

"Not yet. And your daughter isn't helping. Her standards are way too high."

"Hey! That's rude." Clarke states playfully slapping the girl's arm.

Mr. Griffin laughs and shakes his head before he leans over the couch to look at the computer. A few moments later, he points at the bottom of the screen. "What about that one?"

Lexa follow his finger and clicks the link:

 **Studio Apartment**

$400/month

Utilities included

"So far, so good." Lexa says as she opens up the photo slide show. It's small but she doesn't need a lot of room and it looks like there's a bay window. Perfect for her to read (" _or for Clarke to sketch"_ , she thinks).

"Perfect" She and Clarke say at the same time.

"And it's in a decent part of town, not too far from your school." Mr. Griffin adds taking his phone out of his pocket quickly dialing a number and walking away.

Lexa and Clarke are going over the pictures again when Mr. Griffin returns. "I called the landlord and it's still available. Wanna go check it out?" Lexa nods excitedly and pulls Clarke off the sofa. Clarke laughs as they head towards the front door.

The three of them enter the small studio apartment and Lexa immediately walks to the center of the room. She does a 360 to take it all in and after a brief moment lets out a breath. She can't explain it, but this place just feels… right. Clarke watched Lexa explore the small space as her father was in the kitchen with the landlord checking the appliances. Lexa's eyes were filled with calm and Clarke could see the moment Lexa considered this place her new "home".

When she sees Lexa sit at bay window, Clarke makes her way to sit beside the girl.

"I think I already know the answer, but I'm going to ask anyway. What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect, Clarke." Lexa replies smiling at the girl. "What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect too, Lex." Clarke can't help but feel a flutter in her stomach when she realizes her opinion matters to the brunette. Their moment is interrupted by the landlord walking towards them.

"So Ms. Woods?"

"I love it, sir."

He claps his hands triumphantly and walks over to the small counter in the kitchen picking up a folder. "Here's the application. I'll need the $50 application fee now so I can hold the place for you while we wait for your hearing. If all goes well there, then we'll get the lease signed. Now, even if you get emancipated, you are still a minor with no credit history so you'll need a cosigner on the application and lease. I'll need first and last month's rent at the time of signing, then the place is yours."

Lexa listens to the man intently, absorbing everything he says and making a checklist in her head. It all sounded good except for one little thing…

"Cosigner?" She asks quietly.

"Yes. Sorry, my hands are tied there."

She nods. "I understand, sir." Lexa can't hide the disappointment in her voice. She was so close, she didn't even think of the possibility of needing a cosigner. She feels Clarke squeeze her hand supportingly when she hears Mr. Griffin speak.

"Lexa, don't worry about that. Abby and I will cosign for you. We figured you may need one and already agreed to do it."

Lexa and Clarke's heads turn quickly to the man. "Really?"

He nods affirmatively. Clarke feels Lexa release her hand and watches the girl rush into her father's arms. "Thank you, thank you!" She hears her say as her father laughs. "You're welcome, kid." He looks over the brunette's shoulder over his daughter. Clarke smiles brightly at her father and mouths a simple "thank you". He winks at her and continues hugging Lexa.

Later that evening the Griffin's and Lexa are sitting around the dinner table. Mr. Griffin, Clarke and Lexa are filling in Mrs. Griffin on the day's events and showing her pictures of the apartment.

"This looks like a wonderful place, honey. I'm sure the judge will agree on Wednesday." She places a hand on the girl's shoulder. "And you're sure you'll be okay financially?"

Lexa nods. "Yes ma'am. I went over my savings and I have 4 months rent covered already. And with summer coming up I'll have more time to work at The Dropship. I'm thinking maybe I'll look into getting 2nd job too but that depends on my summer schedule at the rec. I want to build up more savings before school starts back up and -"

"Whoa, whoa" Clarke interrupts. "Lex, that's a lot. You're going to work yourself to death."

The comment earns agreeing nods from the elder Griffin's. Lexa looks back and forth between the three of them. "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. I want to make it on my own so I have to do what I have to do. I work a lot. It's how I survive."

"Maybe life should be about more than just surviving."

Lexa smiles. "Maybe… Look, I'll be fine Clarke. I promise."

Clarke sits back in her chair and sighs. She doesn't like the idea of Lexa working so much but there's nothing she can do about it at the moment. So she drops the subject.

Lexa is laying in her bed staring at the alarm clock on her bedside table. ' **11:59** ', it reads. She watches it turn to ' **12:00** ' seconds later. She lets out a deep breath and rolls onto her back. A moment later, there's a light knock on her door and a blonde entering her room. "Hey Lex, you awake?" Clarke whispers.

"Yeah. Everything okay?" Lexa asks now sitting up in the bed. She receives a nod from Clarke and watches as she reaches her hand out to her. "Come with me." Lexa takes the hand without question and follows her out of the bedroom. Clarke leads her down the hall and into her bedroom. They make their way to the double doors leading to Clarke's balcony.

Once outside, Clarke sits on the floor, feet dangling over the edge and motions for Lexa to do the same. Once seated, Lexa looks at the girl curiously. Clarke smiles and turns her back away from her. Lexa can hear her moving things around, "Clarke?"

The blonde turns back around and holds a cupcake with a single candle in front of her and gently says, "Happy Birthday, Lexa."

Lexa's mouth falls open. "Wha - How'd you know?"

"I saw you fill it out on the apartment application earlier. Now, make a wish."

Lexa just stares in awe at the girl in front of her and smiles. This girl continues to surprise her and Lexa hopes it never stops. "Clarke… I don't know what else I could possibly wish for." She looks up at the star-filled sky then back to the blue eyes staring at her. With a deep breath, she closes her eyes and blows out the candle. "Thank you. Usually my birthday comes and goes unnoticed."

Clarke puts the cupcake down and grabs the brunettes hand. She leans over and places a soft kiss on her cheek. "Well, Lexa Woods, you'll never have another birthday go by unnoticed."

Lexa can't contain the smile on her face or ignore the tingling sensation her friend's lips left on her cheek. Without much hesitation, she finds herself leaning over and she kisses the blonde's cheek in return.

Their eyes lock and they share a shy smile. After a moment their eyes drift upwards toward the sky.

"I love the stars." They simultaneously.


	13. Chapter 13

The alarm clock reads 9:30 as the morning sun drifts through the curtains causing Lexa to slowly open her eyes. Her mind immediately fills with thoughts of last nights events and they bring an instant smile to her face. Those couple of hours sitting with Clarke on her balcony, watching the stars and talking, will go down as two of the best hours of her life. For the first time ever, she isn't waking up sad on her birthday.

As she lifts her arms over her head to stretch she hears Clarke yelling from outside her door. "Wake up sleepy head! Breakfast is ready!"

Lexa giggles. "I'm awake! I'll be down in a few."

Lexa bounced gleefully down the stairs and headed directly to the kitchen. She stops dead in her tracks at the entrance and her mouth drops open. There are balloons scattered around, the biggest stack of chocolate chip pancakes she's ever seen and three Griffins standing there watching her with huge grins on their faces.

Mrs. Griffin is the first to approach her, pulling her into a hug. "Happy birthday, sweetheart." Mr. Griffin takes a hold of her next, squeezing her in a big bear hug, "Happy Lexa day, kiddo." He kisses the top of her head and she is soon enveloped in Clarke's arms. "Happy birthday… again" the blonde says with a smirk as she pulls away.

Lexa smiles brightly, looking between all three Griffin's. "Thank you SO much. All of you." She pauses and wipes a tear from her face. "This is already the best birthday I've ever had."

"It's only just beginning Lex. Come on, sit down. Let's eat!" Clarke says as they all take their seats at the table. Lexa pauses to take in the contents of the food laying out on the table.

"This all looks amazing. I love chocolate chip pancakes." She said, piling a decent stack onto her plate.

Mrs. Griffin laughs, "That's what Clarke said."

Lexa looks at Clarke, confused. "And how did you know about my love for chocolate chip pancakes?"

Clarke shrugged. "You told me" she responded as she sprayed an ungodly amount of whipped cream on top of her pancakes.

"Oh yeah? When? I don't ever recall talking to you about pancakes, Clarke." Lexa grabs the whipped cream can away from the blonde. "Also, that's way too much whipped cream. You're going to give yourself a cavity."

"There's no such thing as too much whipped cream, Lex." She says with a wink. "Anyway, to answer your question, you told me a month ago." Lexa looks at her with confused eyes, prompting Clarke to further explain. "I went to see you at The Dropship while you were working. I was excited when I saw you all had chocolate chip muffins. When I stated my joy, you scoffed and said ' _Muffins are child's play. Nothing beats chocolate chip pancakes_. _Those are the best things on Earth.'_ "

Lexa looks at the girl and feels a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. "You continue to surprise me, Griffin." Clarke smiles and then proceeds to spray more whipped cream on her pancakes. Lexa rolls her eyes and takes the can out of the girl's hand again, this time placing it out of her reach, earning a pout from the blonde.

Neither noticed the knowing looks the elder Griffin's exchanged with one another.

"Where are we going?" Lexa asks from the backseat of the Griffin's car. After breakfast, they all piled into the car and were now off to an undisclosed destination.

Mr. Griffin laughs from the driver's seat. "Well, that would ruin the surprise. Not to worry, kid. This is a Griffin birthday tradition."

Lexa looks nervously over at Clarke. "It'll be fun Lex, I promise. Trust me." Lexa nods and laces her fingers' with Clarke's before she returns her stare out of her window. After about 10 minutes a building comes into view. Lexa searches the building until she finds a sign. Finally she spots it. ' **Arkadia Lanes** ', it reads.

"Bowling? This is the Griffin birthday tradition?" Lexa had never gone bowling before and she couldn't help but show the excitement on her face.

"You better believe it! We've been doing this on all of our birthdays since Clarke was four and could hold a ball. Let's go!" Mrs. Griffin exclaimed, getting out of the car.

After renting their shoes the four of them found their bowling balls and headed to their lane. Once she had her shoes on, Lexa walked over to Clarke who had begun entering their names into computer.

"Ok, Lexa. What do you want your bowling name to be?" The blonde asks her.

"What do you mean?"

"Your bowling name. We all have bowling names, look." Clarke points at the screen. Lexa studies the names:

The Dude

Dr. Gutterball

Sky Princess

Lexa looks at Clarke. "Sky Princess? I thought you hated being called princess."

Clarke shook her head. "I don't like when **you** call me 'princess', Lex. It means you're mad at me or think I'm a spoiled brat... I don't like when you see me like that. I don't want to be that person." Lexa looks at her apologetically, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Clarke offers her a small smile before continuing. "So, your bowling name birthday girl?"

Lexa bites her lip. "I don't know, Clarke. You pick one for me."

Clarke playfully taps her chin while she thinks. Suddenly a mischievous grin appears on her face and she begins typing. Lexa looks over the blonde's shoulder. "The Commander" she says with a laugh. "Really, that's what you come up with?"

"You're bossy."

"You're rude."

Clarke winks at the girl. "Let's go dad, you're up!"

Clarke is sitting with her mother while watching her father teaching Lexa how to throw the ball. She can't help but smile at her dad as he talks animately. She can hear him saying things about "boards, arrows and the 'pocket". Her eyes then fixate on the brunette who is listening intensly to the man's instructions.

Clarke looks over at her mother. "Thank you mom."

"For what honey?"

"For being there and helping Lexa. You and dad have been great with her. You've really gone above and beyond anything I could've asked for and..." She pauses and moves her eyes back to where the brunette is standing. Green eyes briefly lock with hers and they share a smile, "she looks so happy."

"You don't need to thank us honey. She's a special girl. We're just glad she's allowed us to help. According to Marcus, she doesn't accept help easily." Mrs. Griffin notices her daughter's gaze drift back towards Lexa causing the older woman to smile. "Does she know?"

Clarke looks at her mother curiously. "What?"

"Does she know how you feel about her?"

Clarke sighs and shakes her head. "No. At least, not the way you're talking about."

"Well, are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know mom. Not yet. Lexa knows I care about her… as friend. And she needs a friend right now. She's going through a lot and it took me weeks to even get her to consider me a friend since she hated me in the beginning. Her friendship is too important to me to risk telling her about… _these_ feelings."

Mrs. Griffin takes her daughter's hand. "First of all, I find it really hard to believe that that girl ever really hated you. Secondly, just don't wait too long to tell her. If you learned anything from losing Charlotte, it should be that life is short. We all deserve to be happy and share that happiness with the people we care about."

Clarke smiles sadly at her mother then looks back over to Lexa as the brunette throws the ball down the lane. "STRIKE!" Her father yells and Lexa immediately begins jumping up and down. She runs up to Clarke and stands directly in front of the blonde. "Clarke! Did you see that? I did it!" Clarke stands and hugs the girl. " Awesome job, Commander." Lexa rolls her eyes and proceeds to give Mrs. Griffin a high five.

Lexa is placing her rental shoes on top of the counter when she feels Clarke grab her hand and begin pulling her away while shouting, "Mom, dad, we'll be right back!"

Clarke continues to pull her across the bowling alley. Lexa is about to ask her what she's doing when her eyes land upon a photo booth. Clarke enters the booth first and sits down, then motions for Lexa to sit on her lap. Lexa smiles shyly and sits while Clarke puts money into the machine. "You ready?" Clarke asks her. Lexa nods.

Lexa laughs when Clarke puffs out her cheeks like a chipmunk. She follows the blondes' example, puffing her cheeks out as well just as the camera flashes. Next Clarke puckers her lips and raises her eyebrows and the camera flashes again. They're both laughing loudly at this point. Clarke begins preparing for her next pose when Lexa leans over and places a soft kiss on the blonde's cheek just in time for the camera to off.

Clarke's cheeks instantly warm up with a blush. She turns to face the brunette whose cheeks are sporting a similar blush. Green eyes are searching her blue, trying to read her reaction. Clarke smiles. They simultaneously begin leaning in towards each other, not breaking eye contact. She's just about to close her eyes, when, _FLASH_. The sound of the camera clicking caused both girls to jump back slightly. They both let out nervous giggles and Lexa gets up off of Clarke's lap and exits the booth. Clarke lets out a deep breath and follows the girl out. They stand side by side in silence, waiting for their photos to drop out of the window. Once they fall, Lexa immediately grabs them and smiles, showing them to Clarke beside her. Clarke smiles at the girl, grabs her hand and they walk out of the bowling alley.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Clarke asks as they all enter the Griffin household. "Yeah, sounds good." Lexa responds.

"Not too late girls. You have school tomorrow." The sound of Mrs. Griffin causes Lexa to pause at the bottom of the stairs. The brunette turns around and walks towards the adults who are now seated in the living room. "Um, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin. I don't know how to say thank you enough. Today has been amazing, it honestly feels like I'm dreaming. I had so much fun and I'm honored that you included me in your family tradition."

Mr. Griffin stands up and walks over to the young girl. "You're apart of this family now kid. Always will be." Mrs. Griffin joins them. "Once you're in, there's no escaping. You're stuck with us." She says with a laugh. Lexa laughs and puts arms around both of them. She whispers another "Thank you" before letting go and walking back to Clarke who's still waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

 **11:59**

Lexa looks away from her alarm clock down to the blonde girl asleep on her shoulder. The movie they were watching ended an hour ago but Lexa couldn't bear the thought of waking this sleeping beauty. As the clock strikes midnight, she looks at the photos in her hand, gently running her fingers down the strip of paper. She closes her eyes and whispers:

"Best. Birthday. Ever."


	14. Chapter 14

Today is the day Lexa finds out if everything she's been working towards the past two years, all the pain she's endured, would be worth it. She is absentmindedly playing with the ring on the finger of the blonde girl's hand she's currently holding.

"Ugh, I'm so over courtrooms." Clarke sighs.

Lexa laughs. "Welcome to my world. You would not make it as a foster kid." Clarke rolled her eyes.

"We're up Lexa." Indra says from the courtroom doors. Lexa nods and stands up, walking hand in hand with Clarke until she reaches the swinging door at the front of the benches. She takes her seat at the table and looks back at Clarke who is sitting directly behind her. The blonde leans forward and whispers familiar words, "Don't worry, we got this." Lexa smiles, feeling more confident now and turns around to see the judge enter the room.

Lexa's leg was nervously bouncing up and down under the table as she watches Judge Jaha looking over all her paperwork.

"Alright Ms. Woods, I've reviewed everything here and it seems like you have it all in order. I've talked to your boss at the cafe, Mr. Kane at the AYRC, some teachers, the Griffin's who will co sign on your apartment and all of them have nothing but praise and confidence in you. You're a very impressive young lady." Lexa smiles at this information, _This is a good sign,_ she thinks. Then Jaha continues, "Now, with all that said, I always have a difficult time granting emancipation, for I believe a child should stay a child as long as possible."

Lexa's shoulders and head fall in disappointment.

"However," he continues, causing Lexa's head to turn back up towards him. "I've read what you've been through and let's face it, you stopped being a child long ago. Now on top off all that, you just turned 17, happy belated birthday by the way, so I really don't see any reason why you have to wait another year before you can be legally responsible for yourself." Lexa stares at him hopefully and he smiles back. "I'm granting you emancipation Ms. Woods."

Lexa lets out a sigh of relief and smiles. "Thank you, sir." She quickly turns around to meet the blue eyes staring proudly at her. The blonde gives her a quick smile and a wink before Lexa turns back around to finish listening to the judge.

"I believe you will be a great success Ms. Woods. Best of luck to you." He stands and gathers his things. Just before he walks through his chamber doors, he pauses and turns around. "Oh, and Ms. Griffin," he begins, causing both the blonde and brunette to look up curiously at him. "I'm glad to see you've improved the company you're keeping."

The Griffin's, Lexa and Indra walk out of the courthouse out to the parking lot. "This is me." Indra says as she comes to a stop. Lexa smiles at the woman and puts her arms around her. "Thank you for everything, Indra. I've had dozens of social workers throughout my life and you're definitely my favorite." Indra smiles down at the girl. "Thank you Lexa. We both know the system is far from perfect and I'm sorry we couldn't help you more. But you my dear, are a shining star. Maybe one day, you will have a hand in helping improve the system that failed you so many times."

"I plan on it." Lexa states matter of factly. Indra smiles and says goodbye to the Griffin's before getting in her car.

Soon after, the four of them are in their car and Mr. Griffin starts the engine. "How about a celebratory dinner?" He says. "Sounds great, Mr. Griffin." Lexa replies.

As he begins driving, Lexa feels blue eyes on her. She turns her face to meet the eyes and arches her eyebrow, "Yes Clarke?"

"Is that what you want to do? Be a social worker. Work in the system?"

Lexa nods. "Who better to fix it than someone who has lived it."

Clarke grabs her hand and squeezes it. "You're amazing, do you know that?"

Lexa smiles shyly. "If you say so."

Lexa decided she wanted pizza to celebrate, so the four of them found themselves in a local pizza parlor eating and chatting animatedly. Lexa loved meals with the Griffin's and she'll miss them once she moves out.

Suddenly Mr. Griffin claps his hands together, "Ok! Present time!"

Lexa narrows her eyes at him as he pulls out a small rectangular box from his jacket pocket and places it in front of her. "What is this? You didn't have to get me anything."

"Shush." Mrs. Griffin says. "Now go on. Open it. Happy emancipation day, sweetheart."

Lexa smiles and unwraps the box. Her jaw drops when she sees it's contents. A brand new iPhone. "Mr. and Mrs. Griffin, I can't accept this. You've done so much for me already." She pushes the box back towards them only to be stopped by Mrs. Griffin's hand. "You're keeping it." She said plainly.

"We had a feeling you'd put up a fight, so listen here kid." Lexa stares at Mr. Griffin and waits for him to continue. "You need a phone. You're going to be on your own… living alone. And honestly, it'll make me sleep easier at night knowing you have it. We put you on our family plan so it's not a big expense. Now, if it'll make you feel better, you can pay your share of the bill, which will be $20 a month. That is what the additional line breaks down to."

Lexa is sure that's not actually what the additional line costs but knowing she won't win that fight, she shakes her head vigorously. "I'll do it. I'll pay you every month. Thank you!"

The Griffin's smile triumphantly and go back to eating as Lexa turns on her new phone. She notices that all three Griffin's numbers are already programmed in her contacts. Not a second later her phone chimes in her hand, alerting her of a new text message.

Her first ever text message.

 **Clarke:** _Welcome to the wonderful world of texting! 3_

Lexa smiles.

 **Lexa:** _Ugh. Now you can annoy me 24/7._

Clarke laughs out loud when she reads the text and shoves the girl's shoulder playfully before putting her attention back on her pizza.

Lexa takes a moment to look between all the Griffin's. She's never felt so cared for, so loved. These people are her family. She leans back in her chair and casually lifts her new phone up. She quickly snaps a picture without any of them noticing. She takes a moment to admire the photo then places the phone on the table, not wanting to miss anymore moments of this meal.


	15. Chapter 15

"Ugh." Lexa sighs as she falls back onto her bed, in HER apartment. The Griffin's left two hours ago and she is now officially moved in. She stretches out her sore muscles across her new bed. Well, the mattress is new, she bought the frame from Goodwill and Mrs. Griffin bought her a mattress after refusing to let Lexa buy a used one. " _That's so unsanitary. We don't know where that's been."_ She had said. The memory made her laugh. She remembers thinking at the time how much Mrs. Griffin had sounded like Clarke when they were searching for apartments. Like mother, like daughter.

Lexa felt herself drifting off to sleep. Between school, work at The Dropship, volunteering at AYRC (which also included the extra time put in for the art room fundraiser) and shopping for apartment essentials, she hadn't gotten much rest the past week. Just as she closes her eyes she hears a familiar voice shouting from outside her apartment door.

"Lex, let me in! I can't knock, my hands are full!"

Lexa laughs and springs up off the bed, rushing to the door to open it. Instead of her friend's face, she's met with pillows. "Clarke, what are doing?" Clarke doesn't answer, but walks past the brunette and walks over to the bed, instantly dropping the pillows on top of it, then sits down. "Whew, those stairs are more challenging when you can't see the steps."

Lexa laughs as she shuts the door then makes her way over to the bed to sit beside the blonde. "Clarke, what are these for?"

"They're for you silly. You only bought yourself one pillow and I know how you like to snuggle your pillows. So, I thought I'd get you a little housewarming gift."

It's true. Lexa could only afford to get herself one pillow and she was already thinking about how sad it was going to be when she went to sleep that night and couldn't snuggle anything. She takes the blonde's hand in hers and smiles. "Thank you Clarke. That's very nice of you."

"You're welcome, Commander." Clarke says as she lays back on the bed. Lexa soon follows and they stare at the ceiling. "Are we still meeting at The Dropship after your shift tomorrow to discuss the fundraiser? Raven and Octavia are on standby awaiting their instructions on how to help."

"Yup. Thank them again for volunteering to help. I feel like we have so much to do and it's only a week away."

Clarke squeezes her hand. "We got this. We'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know…" she pauses before standing up. "I want to show you something."

Clarke leans up on her elbows and watches Lexa walk over to a box on the bay window. She pulls out a small book and walks back towards her. Lexa sits back down and hands Clarke the book. Clark studies the object. Turns out it's a sketchbook. She smiles and turns it over, immediately letting out a small gasp when her eyes fall on the cover. Clarke runs her finger over it. It's Charlotte's Wonder Woman drawing. Underneath, in comic book lettering, reads: " _In loving memory of our little Wonder Woman"_ along with a small photo of the girl. Clarke can feel the tears filling her eyes.

"Lex…"

"I convinced a local printer to print and donate 1,000 of them. Figured we could sell them at the fundraiser. The proceeds for that specifically to go to pediatric cancer research."

Clarke stays silent, her fingers still running back and forth over the drawing. Lexa was starting think the silence was bad and was getting nervous. She begins to ramble, "If you hate the idea, I'm sorry. I really thought you'd like it. I'm sorry I borrowed her drawing without asking. I swear I only had it for two hours then put it right back where I found it, I -" she was cut off by the feeling of lips on her cheek. When she looks up she sees blue eyes, filled with tears. When they begin to fall, she raises her hand to gently brush them away. Clarke smiles at the gesture, leaning her head into the brunette's hand.

"This is amazing Lex. I love it." Lexa smiles and takes a hold of the girl's hand. She lifts it up and places a gentle kiss on top of it.

Clarke, Lexa, Raven and Octavia are sitting around a large table inside The Dropship. Clarke takes a sip of her coffee before she begins reading off of her notes.

"Okay. Raven you'll handle the lighting and sound board for the stage. Monty and Jasper will be there to help you too. O, you're in charge of the silent auction tables. And you said Lincoln and Bellamy are good with helping with the setup and teardown? Cool…" Clarke takes a breath before continuing her checklist. "Ok, so, that leaves me to man the sketchbook table and Lexa will host."

"Ugh. I can't believe I let you convince me to agree to that." Lexa sighed putting her head in her hands.

"Come on Lex, you'll be great." Clarke reaches out and gives the brunette's hand a comforting and encouraging squeeze. Lexa returns to small smile to the blonde and their eyes lock onto one another. Both of them miss the smirks on Raven and Octavia's faces.

Their stares last longer than intended and are only interrupted by Raven clearing her throat. "So, are we all done here then?"

Lexa shyly removes her hand from Clarke's and looks up to Raven. "Yeah, we're good. Thanks so much for volunteering to help us out."

"Sure thing, jelly bean." Raven replies throwing her messenger bag over her shoulder. Octavia smiles up Lexa and adds, "We're happy to do it. Really."

With that, the two brunette's walk out of the cafe, leaving Clarke and Lexa sitting at the table, clearing up all their papers.

"I think we got a lot done today. You have good friends, Clarke" Lexa says as they walk down the sidewalk and reach Clarke's car.

"They're your friends too." Clarke states simply while starting the engine. Soon they are driving, on their way to Lexa's.

"So Lex, how was your first night in your own place?"

"Honestly?... It was weird."

Clarke glances at her, concerned. "Good weird or bad weird?"

"Good, I think. I mean, it's just different. It's MINE, Clarke."

"Yes it is. And you deserve it." Clarke smiles as she parks the car outside Lexa's building.

Lexa returns the blonde's smile and unbuckles her seatbelt, stopping once she opens the door. She turns to the blonde, "Wanna hang out for a bit?"

"I was planning on it."

Clarke was sitting in the bay window sketching, while Lexa was in the kitchen unpacking a box. The sound of her phone beeping causes Clarke to place her sketchbook down and retrieve her phone from her pocket, quickly opening up the group message she just received.

 **Raven:** _When are you going to ask Green Eyes out?_

 **Octavia:** _Yeah Clarke, you two are so obvious it's gross._

 **Raven:** _What are you waiting for Griffin?!_

A sad smile forms on her face as she reads the messages, trying to decide what to reply.

 **Clarke:** _It's not the right time._

 **Octavia:** _WTF does that even mean?_

 **Clarke:** _She's been through a lot guys and now she's building a life for herself. I don't want to get in the way or complicate that._

 **Raven:** _Ever think you'd be a great addition to that life she's building?_

 **Clarke:** _I don't want to scare her off. We're in a really good place right now… we're friends._

 **Octavia:** _Oh, please. You two are not 'just friends'._

 **Raven:** _Not the way you look at each other._

 **Octavia:** _Or the constant hand holding._

"You're blowing up over here. Everything okay?"

The sound of Lexa's voice startles the blonde. She quickly shoves her phone back in her pocket and looks over to the brunette.

"Yea, yeah. Everything's good. It's just Raven and O being annoying."

Lexa looks at curiously sensing there's more to the story, but doesn't push further. Instead, she sits beside her. "Can I see your drawing?" Clarke hands the girl her sketchbook without hesitation and blushes when Lexa stares at her drawing of the street below them with adoration.

"You're so talented Clarke. I love your art."

Clarke blushes even more, "It's just a doodle, Lex."

Lexa arches her eyebrow at the blonde. "A doodle? Your modesty is annoying. Learn to take a compliment."

"Thank you, Lexa." Clarke replies with a shy giggle. Lexa winks at her before handing the sketchbook back and walking towards the kitchen again.

It's 7:30 when Clarke walks out of Lexa's apartment building. She's walking towards her car when a voice halts her movement.

"Clarke?"

 _No way. Has it been 6 months already_? Clarke slowly turns around to face the owner of the familiar voice. "Finn."


	16. Chapter 16

It's 7:30 when Clarke walks out of Lexa's apartment building. She's walking towards her car when a voice halts her movement.

"Clarke?"

 _No way. Has it been 6 months already_? Clarke slowly turns around to face the owner of the familiar voice. "Finn."

Clarke stands on the sidewalk frozen, her feet unable to move, very reminiscent of the night she was arrested. It wasn't until Finn took a step towards her that she snaps out of her shocked position, immediately raising a hand to stop him from coming any closer.

The boy stops his movements. "Clarke. It's good to see you. You look good."

"Wish I could say the same." her voice is stern.

"I deserve that, I guess."

Clarke continues to stare at him, anger rising in her bones.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?" he asks.

"No." she says flatly before turning around finishing the walk to her car. Once inside, she slams her hands on the wheel. Tears are beginning fall as she takes a few deep breaths to compose herself.

It's Monday and Clarke is sitting alone in the cafeteria picking at her food. She had spent the rest of the weekend trying to distract her mind from seeing Finn, without much success. Lexa had been working so Clarke mostly stayed in her room, drawing and painting. Everything she created came out sad and angry and only upset her more.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she feels Lexa sit down next to her and begin speaking. "Hey you. Long time no see."

Clarke forces a smile. "Hey."

Lexa's face immediately turns to one of concern when she hears the blonde's tone and sees the distant look in her blue eyes, but before she could question her they are joined by Raven and Octavia who begin chatting loudly at them.

The four girls place their lunch trays in the bins before walking out of the cafeteria heading in opposite directions. Clarke tells Raven and Octavia she'd see them in 7th period before turning around to Lexa. "I'll see you after school Lexa."

Before she can walk away she feels Lexa grab her hand. "You're coming with me." She says before dragging Clarke down the hallway and out to the baseball bleachers. Lexa sits first then pulls Clarke down next to her.

"We're missing class Lex."

"Nice try. You have study hall and I have an open period. Now, talk."

"About?"

"Whatever it is that's bothering you."

Clarke sighs. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You wear your emotions on your face Clarke. I know something is wrong." She pauses to take the blonde's hand in her own, forcing the girl to look at her. "Please talk to me."

Tears begin to fall out of Clarke's eyes and Lexa's heart breaks. She wipes the tears off her cheeks with her free hand. "Clarke…"

Clarke lets out a deep breath. "I don't know why I'm so upset about it. Honestly, I think it's more anger than anything."

"Upset about what?"

"Finn's back."

Lexa swallows. "The boy you got arrested with?... Your ah, your boyfriend?" The word caused an instant pit to form in the brunette's stomach and she was suddenly feeling nauseous.

"EX. Ex boyfriend. But yes, the one that got me arrested."

"Ok. When did you see him?"

"Saturday night after I left your place. He stopped me on the sidewalk and tried to get me to talk to him. I just walked away."

Lexa's mouth drops open. "Saturday night? Why didn't you mention this yesterday?"

"You were at work all day and I didn't want to bother you… and, I think I needed the day to process it. I'm still processing actually. I'm angry and I hate being angry."

Lexa smiles sadly at the girl before grabbing hold of her other hand. She grips both hands and stares deeply into blue eyes.

"Clarke… first of all, never worry about bothering me. If you need me, you call me." She pauses to place her arm around the girl, Clarke instantly laying her head on her shoulder. "Secondly, it's okay to be angry. You have a right to feel whatever you feel."

Clarke lets out a deep breath and snuggles closer to the brunette. Lexa lays her head on top of the blonde's and they sit there in silence until the bell rings.

Clarke is in the art room of AYRC, sitting in the middle of the room finger painting with a dozen kids or so when Jasper walks in.

"Hey Clarke. There's someone here to see you."

"Who? I'm kinda busy." She says lifting up her paint-covered hands.

"Said his name's Finn. I told him you were busy but he said it was urgent."

Clarke sighed before getting up to wash her hands. "Do you mind?" she asks him nodding to the kids.

"Not to worry. I'll hang with the munchkins."

"Thanks." she said and walked out of the room. She saw him as she approached the reception desk. When he looked up and noticed her walking towards she immediately pointed a finger over his shoulder. "Outside."

Finn nodded and followed the girl out of the doors. Once the doors shut behind him, Clarke places her hands on her hips and stares at him.

"What is it Finn? You shouldn't be here."

"We need to talk."

"We really don't."

Meanwhile inside, Lexa walks into the art room expecting to see a blonde but instead finds Jasper, who is currently getting his face painted by a couple of kids. "Where's Clarke?"

"Some guy named Finn came to see her. She's talking to him."

Lexa's eyes widen and she turns quickly out of the art room. Her heart begins beating faster as she walks towards the reception area and is confused when she doesn't find Clarke and the boy. Her eyes anxiously wander and finally she spots them through window outside the front doors. She approaches the doors slowly, the conversation outside becoming clearer. She stops right outside the door and listens.

"I don't want to talk to you Finn!" Clarke yelled as Finn takes a step closer to her.

"Look, you don't need to be a bitch. I'm trying to tell you something."

"Fuck you."

She turns to walk away and Finn roughly grabs her arm, forcefully turning her back around to face him. Lexa is instantly outside.

"Hey! Let go of her!" The brunette yells. Finn rolls his eyes and let's go.

"This is none of you business."

"I beg to differ." Lexa takes a step to stand next to Clarke looking at the girl, she whispers "You ok?" Once she sees Clarke nod, she moves to stand in front of the girl, putting herself between her friend and the boy.

"You need to leave." Lexa's voice is stern and low. Her eyes glaring at him.

"I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I just want to talk to Clarke."

"I'm pretty sure she said she didn't want to talk to you."

Finn looks over the brunette's shoulder to the blonde. "Two minutes. That's all I need."

Lexa takes a step towards the boy but is stopped when she feels a hand in hers. Clarke gently pulls Lexa back to stand beside her before she speaks, "You have 30 seconds Finn."

Finn sighs. "Fine. Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry that I got you in trouble. I um… I have some issues. But I'm trying to fix them… this is a part of fixing them. And… yeah. I'm sorry you got caught in the middle." He pauses and Clarke nods. He runs his hand through his hair before continuing. "And, I wanted to let you know that I'm leaving. I'm going to go live my dad." He waits to see if Clarke reacts. When she just continues to stare stoically at him he lets out a breath in defeat. "Ok then. That's it. Have a nice life. Goodbye Clarke."

Finn turns around and is about 5 feet away when Clarke speaks. "Finn!" He turns around. Clarke takes a small step forward. "Thank you."

Finn's eyes narrow in confusion as he nods and walks away.

Lexa and Clarke are sitting on Lexa's bed, their backs leaning against the headboard. Lexa was mindlessly rubbing soft circles around the bruise that formed on the blonde's arm where Finn had grabbed her.

"He hurt you." it's barely a whisper.

"I'm fine Lex. It doesn't even hurt."

"But still…"

Clarke moves her arm so she can lace their fingers. "Really. I'm fine, I promise." She raises their joined hands to her lips, placing a gentle kiss on the brunette's. "Thanks for being there."

Lexa smiles softly. "You don't need to thank me. I'm always here for you." Clarke smiles at the girl. The brunette begins playing with the blonde's fingers and lets out a deep breath. "There's one thing I don't get, Clarke."

"What's that?"

"Why'd you thank Finn?"

Clarke squeezed the girl's hand. "Because if it wasn't for him, I would have never found you."


	17. Chapter 17

"I'm going to throw up."

Lexa laughs. "No you're not. Look around Clarke. Everything is perfect."

Clarke takes the brunette's advice and takes in her surroundings. They are standing in the middle of a beautifully decorated AYRC gym. It's the perfect balance of an elegant and laid back atmosphere. She had to admit, she's proud of what they've done. There are dozens of tables, a small dance floor filling up the center of the room. Around the stage, were a number of easels set up holding artwork created by the kids over the past 6 months. The sketchbook and silent auction tables are set up along the east wall. The west wall is where the food line is set up. Thankfully, Lexa convinced The Dropship to cater the event for free. Clarke is still amazed she pulled that off.

Although, she really shouldn't be surprised. Lexa can be a very convincing person. Her approach is always "to-the-point" but her voice is sincere. Anyone would have a difficult time looking into those green eyes and turning her down. (Clarke knew this first hand.)

"You're right. Everything is perfect." Clarke says as she walks over to Lexa and wraps her arms around the girl. The brunette instantly holding her back and whispering in her ear.

"Let's do this."

The event was going off without a hitch. It was nearing the end of the festivities and Clarke has finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief and call tonight a success.

Thanks to Lexa and Monty's strong social media campaign they were able to sell 150 tickets and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was tons of action on the dance floor all night, the children in particular were having a blast jumping around to the music. Clarke had sold out of sketchbooks after an hour with many people people buying 5 or more copies. According to Octavia, even more people had bid on the silent auction items.

Now, the blonde finds herself sitting at a table with her parents. Her nervous stomach was finally allowing her to eat and she was in the middle of her meal when Marcus steps up on to the small stage and begin speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you again for coming this evening and supporting the Arkadia Youth Recreation Center Art Program. I must say, this has been a great success. To tell us just how much of a success it was, please welcome Ms. Lexa Woods back to the stage.

Clarke smiles and applauds while watching the girl walk up to the stage. As the brunette grabs the microphone, Clarke is suddenly taken aback by how beautiful she looks up there under the stage lights. Clarke had been so nervous earlier she hadn't really taken in Lexa in her outfit, and now that she has she can't seem to find her breath. Needless to say, Lexa looks stunning in her black dress and Clarke makes a mental note to tell her so later.

"Thank you Mr. Kane, and I'd also like to thank all of you as well for coming and supporting us. As someone who has grown up in the foster care system I understand first hand the importance of places like the AYRC and people like you who support it. I can't tell you enough how your kindness impacts our lives… So, on behalf of all us 'kids', thank you." Lexa pauses to allow the applause to subside. "Now, I have the preliminary totals of tonight's festivities. Raven, drumroll please… Because of your generosity we have raised over $10,000!"

More applause erupts as people stand and cheer. Clarke is staring proudly up at the girl on the stage. Their eyes meet and Lexa shoots her a smirk and a wink. Clarke sits back down and motions for the girl to come join her but the brunette smiles and nods 'no'. Clarke narrows her eyes at her and when the applause dies down, Lexa brings the microphone back up to her mouth.

"Before we call it a night, I need to acknowledge someone very special. She is the reason we are all here tonight and she is the one who has inspired all the wonderful artwork the children created. Clarke, can you please stand back up?"

Clarke shyly stands, a blush covering her cheeks as the audience applaud around her. She keeps her eyes locked on the green ones up on the stage.

"Clarke, you've changed all our lives since coming to AYRC and we are all grateful to and for you. To show our gratitude, we have something for you."

A line of children begin approaching Clarke. Clarke kneels to the ground and each child begins to hand her a flower and a handmade card. She's trying to hold back the tears that have formed in her eyes as she hugs each child. Once she's received the final flower and card her eyes find their way back up to Lexa, who is standing on the stage beaming down at her with pride.

"We're so proud of you kid." Mr. Griffin says as he hugs his daughter.

"Thank you both for coming." she replies going over to hug her mother next.

"We wouldn't miss it."

Clarke smiles at her parents before her eyes drift over to Lexa who is talking to Mr. Kane. She can see a huge smile on the brunette's face as she shakes the man's hand. Before Clarke knew it, the girl was rushing over to her and her parents.

"Guess what?" she exclaimed.

Clarke giggled at the girl's enthusiasm. "What?"

"Mr. Kane just offered me a job!"

"Where?"

"Here Clarke."

"Uhh, Lex, maybe you've had too much punch but you already work here silly."

Clarke smirks as Lexa rolls her eyes. "No Clarke. A PAYING job. Apparently the board approved making my Assistant Director position a permanent, paid position. Nothing really changes except I get paid and I qualify for benefits now."

"That's great kid!" Mr. Griffin exclaims soon followed by Mrs. Griffin's "Congrats honey."

Lexa smiles before Clarke wraps her up in her arms. "That's awesome Lexa. I'm proud of you." Lexa squeezes the girl a little tighter.

Everyone has left the rec and Clarke and Lexa find themselves sitting on the swings in the playground outside, decompressing and enjoying the nice night air.

Clarke eventually breaks the silence. "We did it."

"Yeah we did. We make a pretty good team." she pauses and smiles at the blonde. "And just so you know, I meant what I said on that stage tonight. You've changed all of our lives here Clarke. I've never been so happy to be wrong about anyone in my life."

Clarke smiles and takes her hand. "You've all changed my life too… YOU in particular. You have completely altered my entire world Lexa Woods. I'm so grateful to have you."

Lexa smiles shyly at the girl and squeezes her hand. Unsure of what to say, she moves her eyes up to the sky. Clarke's eyes soon follow and a second later a shooting star passes through the sky causing both girls to gasp.

Clarke looks over to the girl beside her. "Did you see that?"

"I did. Wow..." She turns her eyes from the sky and to the blonde. "Make a wish Clarke."

Clarke looks straight back into her favorite pair of green eyes and whispers, "Will you go out on a date with me?"


	18. Chapter 18

" _Make a wish Clarke."_

 _Clarke looks straight back into her favorite pair of green eyes and whispers, "Will you go out on a date with me?"_

The words flowed out of her mouth before she could stop them and now Clarke's heart was beating faster and she was internally panicking. She's studying Lexa's face, trying to gauge a reaction but she can't get a read on her. Is she shocked? Angry? Disgusted? Had she completely misread Lexa's feelings?

All these thoughts run through her mind simultaneously and it feels like they've been staring at each other forever.

"What?" it's barely a whisper but Clarke heard it.

Clarke thinks briefly about taking it back, but decides quickly not to. She wants this. So, she stands up and pulls Lexa up as well so they're standing face to face. She grasps both of the brunette's hands firmly and looks directly into the girl's eyes. She repeats, "Will you go out on a date with me?"

"Are you serious?"

"I've never been more serious. You're amazing Lexa and I've known it since I first laid eyes on you. I would really like to take you on a date." Clarke's voice is confident and she has yet to break eye contact with the brunette.

Lexa feels stunned. Of course she has felt the… energy between herself and the blonde but she never actually thought this would happen. Unable to speak, she continues to stare deeply into the blue eyes in front of her and she sees the worry slowly appearing in the blue depths.

"Lex?"

Lexa snaps out of her daze. She takes a deep breath and moves slightly closer to the girl. She laces their fingers together and smiles. "I'd love to go out on a date with you Clarke."

To say Clarke was happy would be the understatement of the century. She has just arrived home after dropping Lexa off at her apartment. After changing into her pajamas she lays down in bed with her phone in her hands. She's contemplating sending a text to Lexa. They always send each other texts when their getting ready for bed, but she doesn't know if it's different now.

She bites her bottom lip and looks over to her bedside table where she sees her copy of the photo booth photos from Lexa's birthday. She smiles, " _You're an idiot Griffin, text the girl."_

 **Clarke:** _Tonight was great._

Lexa's response came quickly.

 **Lexa:** _Agreed. It was a great success._

 **Clarke:** _In more ways than one ;)_

 **Lexa:** _Lol_

 **Clarke:** _I'm happy._

 **Lexa:** _Me too._

 **Clarke:** _So um, does Friday night work ok for you? For our date?_

 **Lexa:** _Works perfectly :)_

 **Clarke:** _Awesome :) Talk to you tomorrow?_

 **Lexa:** _Absolutely._

 **Clarke:** _Goodnight Lex._

 **Lexa:** _Sweet dreams Clarke._

Clarke plugs her phone into its charger and lays back facing the ceiling. She can't help the small giggle that escapes her mouth. She had a date with Lexa and she couldn't wait.

Clarke bounces down the stairs and into the kitchen the next morning to find both her parents there. Her mother was sitting at the table drinking coffee and her father at the stove cooking bacon.

"Good morning parentals." she says cheerfully.

"Good morning honey." her mother replies, taking a sip of her coffee.

Clarke walks over and grabs a piece of bacon, her father immediately swatting her hand away.

"Hey, hey. Be patient kid!"

She just playfully sticks her tongue out at him before placing the bacon in her mouth. She can feel her parents eyes on her as she pours herself a cup a coffee and when she sits down at the table she bites her lip, trying to contain her smile and avoids her mother's eyes when the woman speaks to her.

"What are you grinning about?"

"Yeah. That smile on your face is so big it looks like it hurts." her father adds, earning an eye roll from Clarke.

"You two are crazy."

She tries to contain her smile, she really does but it's impossible. And when her parents continue to stare at her she lets out a giggle.

"Ugh, okay fine. I'm happy ok?"

"We see that. Any particular reason why?" her mother asks.

"I asked Lexa out last night." she says as nonchalantly as possible.

"And she said?" her mother's voice was almost giddy.

"She said yes." Clarke made sure not to look up at her parents because she could feel a small blush forming on her cheeks.

Suddenly her father pats her shoulder. "'Bout time kid."

"That's wonderful honey." her mother says smiling widely at her daughter.

"Yeah, it is."

"When's the date?"

"Friday night. I have 6 days to make sure it's perfect."

"Any idea what you're going to do?" her father asks as he places food on the table.

Clarke smiles. "I have a few."

"I'm sure whatever you do, Lexa will love it." her mother says, patting the top of her hand.

"I hope so."

They're interrupted by the sound of Clarke's phone beeping. As Clarke looks at the screen her smile widens. "Speak of the devil eh?" her father jokes earning another slight blush to appear on the blonde's face.

 **Lexa:** _Good morning!_

 **Clarke:** _Good morning to you! What are you doing?_

 **Lexa:** _Trying to decide if I want dry toast or saltines for breakfast. Lol. I haven't had time to go grocery shopping._

Clarke rolls her eyes before looking up to her parents. "Can I invite Lexa over for breakfast?"

Her father laughs. "You don't have to ask. She's always welcome."

 **Clarke:** _Come over. Dad made breakfast._

 **Lexa:** _Really? Are sure it's okay?_

 **Clarke:** _Of course silly! You and I will go grocery shopping afterwards. Need me to go pick you up?_

Lexa's response doesn't come for another five minutes.

 **Lexa:** _No need. I just got on the bus. See you soon :)_

Lexa leans back in her chair and sighs. "Thank you for feeding me. I'm stuffed."

"Anytime, kiddo." Mr. Griffin say taking the plates off the table.

"So, what's on the agenda today you two?"

"Well Mrs. Griffin, Clarke so graciously offered to take me grocery shopping. After that, I was going to study for finals."

"Ugh. Don't remind me." Clarke groans causing Lexa to laugh.

"Sorry. But we gotta do it. I have to do well on these finals. I'm applying for early admission to a couple schools and these grades go on the applications I'm filling out over the summer."

"Yeah, me too. I can't believe we're going to be seniors."

"You can't believe it?!" Mrs. Griffin laughs. "It seems like only yesterday you were just a chubby, curly haired baby trying to crawl."

"Mooooooom" the blonde groans. Lexa's eyes light up and smiles.

"Are there pictures of this chubby, curly haired baby?" she asks with a smirk.

"No!" Clarke grabs Lexa's hand and begins dragging the girl out of the kitchen. "No more talking. We have grocery shopping to do. See you two trouble makers later!" She yells at her parents.

"Thanks for breakfast Mr. and Mrs. Griffin!" Lexa yells as she's putting her shoes back on in front of the front door.

"You're welcome honey! And don't worry, I'll show you pictures of baby Clarke before your date!"

Lexa eyes widen as she stops tying her shoe and looks up at the blonde who is groaning again. "You told them?" she whispers.

Clarke nods. "And I'm never telling them anything ever again!" She says loud enough for her parents to hear as she finishes dragging giggling Lexa out of the door.

"This building should have an elevator." Clarke says after she places the last few bags of groceries onto Lexa's small kitchen counter and then proceeds to throw herself on to the brunettes bed.

Lexa laughs. "It's one flight of stairs Clarke."

"I hate stairs."

"Well, maybe you should exercise more" the brunette teased.

Clarke pouts. "That's rude. I'm not that out of shape." Lexa moves to stand in front of the blonde.

"I'm only teasing you. Your shape is perfect". She says with wink.

"Are you flirting with me Ms. Woods."

"Maybe." Lexa lays down beside the blonde on the bed, takes her hand and laces their fingers together. "Is that okay?" She say adds before lifting their hands to place a kiss on top of Clarke's causing the girl to blush.

"It's 100% ok. Flirt away, little missy."

Lexa laughs and turns on her side, Clarke immediately mirroring the action. Now that their face to face, Clarke takes her free hand to brush a loose strand out of Lexa's face. Lexa blushes lightly at the action and the two stare at each other for a moment before Clarke speaks.

"Friday can't come soon enough."

Lexa smiles. "Agreed."


	19. Chapter 19

Clarke throws herself on her bed and lets out a deep breath of relief. It's Friday and finals are over. Summer is officially here and she gets to kick it off with her date with Lexa tonight. In between studying for all her finals she was planning the perfect (or what she hoped would be) date. Right now, she felt confident and excited but she knew it was only a matter of time before the nerves in her stomach escalated. Her thoughts are interrupted by her message alert tone.

 **Raven:** _O & I expect a FULL report after your date tonight! No details spared Griffin! ;)_

Clarke laughs and types out a quick response before plugging her phone into the charger and heading to the bathroom to begin getting ready.

When Clarke makes her way down stairs, she finds her parents sitting in the living room. They both look up to her when she enters and smile.

"You look beautiful."

"Thanks dad."

"How are you feeling?" her mother asks.

"Excited… nervous. Really nervous now, actually."

"Everything will perfect honey. You two hang out all the time."

"Yeah, I know but… I just really like her. And tonight… tonight isn't just us hanging out. It's… different."

Abby gets up off the sofa and makes her way over to Clarke, gently putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Sometimes, different is good."

"I hope so" she pauses and notices the time "ok, I need to go."

Her mother pulls her into a comforting hug and then she quickly finds herself wrapped her father's arms. Her father pulls away, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

"Hurt her, I hurt you." He warns with smirk.

Clarke lightly hits his arm and laughs. "Wow, thanks dad. I am your actual daughter. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I didn't mean what I said." after a quick wink he adds "Have a good time kid."

Clarke is standing nervously outside of Lexa's apartment door. The butterflies in her stomach multiplied greatly on the drive over here and now she's second guessing every plan she made for tonight. " _Pull yourself together Clarke"_ she whispers to herself. With a deep breath, she raises her shaking hand to the door and knocks.

As soon as the door swings open Clarke's jaw hits the floor and she's sure she's forgotten how to breathe. She takes in the sight of the girl in front of her, memorizing everything. Her brown locks pulled to the left, flowing gracefully onto her exposed shoulder thanks to the off the shoulder black top she's wearing. Her light blue jeans are hugging her form perfectly causing the blonde to gulp. Clarke's eyes travel back up to the brunette's face where her eyeliner is a little darker than usual highlighting her beautiful eyes and she swears they're sparkling.

"Damn." it's barely a whisper but Lexa hears it and lets out a small laugh.

"I'll take that as a compliment… you too by the way." Lexa smiles as she glances up and down the blonde's body causing Clarke to instantly blush. "So, do you want to come in or shall we get going to wherever it is we're going?"

Silence envelopes them as Clarke's eyes begin to travel down the brunette's body again. Lexa laughs again. "Clarke?"

The sound of the girl's voice snaps Clarke out of her daze. When she looks up at the girl she's met with a smirk her blush is back. "Sorry… Um… yeah, let's get going, shall we?"

Lexa nods and giggles before she briefly walks back inside her apartment to grab her bag and keys. After locking the door, Clarke takes her hand and they walk out of the apartment building, hand in hand.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Lexa asks while looking over to the blonde in the driver's seat.

"You'll find out momentarily, we're almost there."

Lexa nods and returns her gaze to the window, taking in the surroundings trying to figure out where the blonde is taking her. A few moments later, a sign comes into view:

 **ARKADIA PEAK OBSERVATORY**

 **Next Left**

Lexa gasps and turns back to Clarke. "Really?! I've always wanted to come here, Clarke!"

Clarke can't help but smile at the girl's reaction. "I know, you mentioned it once."

Lexa smiles at the girl and squeezes her hand. A moment later though, her eyes narrow in confusion. "Wait a second. Aren't they only open to the public on Saturday though?"

"That is correct." The blonde replies simply as she parks the car and unbuckles her seat belt. She gets out of the car and makes her way to the passenger side door, opening it for the brunette.

"But it's Friday Clarke." Clarke takes the girl's hand and helps her out of the car.

"Correct again. Dang Lex, nothing gets passed you. I bet you aced all your finals." She smirks and Lexa rolls her eyes at her.

"I really don't want to get arrested for breaking and entering."

Clarke laughs while she grabs a tote bag out of the backseat before turning back to Lexa and flashes a set of keys in front of her. "We're not breaking any laws."

Lexa's eyes narrow again. "I don't understand."

Clarke takes Lexa's hand and leads her towards the front entrance, explaining on the way. "Sinclair, the director of the observatory, is a close family friend. He grew up with my dad and is basically an uncle to me. I asked him if I could bring someone special here tonight. After a lot of embarrassing questions about who my special someone was and a very intensive lecture on how not to break any of the multi-million dollar equipment, he gave me the keys."

Lexa stares at the girl in amazement. "Really?"

Clarke laughs and opens the doors. "Yes really. Now come on beautiful."

"That was so amazing. I can't believe how huge that telescope is. And the pictures it's able to take? Those were incredible." Lexa is rambling excitedly and Clarke was beaming.

Lexa seemed to be having a good time and was as giddy as Clarke had ever seen her. They had just left the main observation room with the largest telescope. Unfortunately, they couldn't operate it but Sinclair left a slideshow of images on the computer for them to look through. The slideshow seemed to be more than enough for Lexa who went through the photos 3 times. Clarke had spent the last 2 times watching nothing but the brunette.

Now, the blonde was leading the brunette to a small area outside where a smaller, personal telescope was set up.

"Oh fun!" Lexa exclaimed as she skipped, yes skipped, towards the telescope and immediately placed her eye to the viewfinder. Clarke smiled at the girl and while she was distracted begin placing her tote bag down and begin emptying its contents. First, she laid out a blanket, quickly followed by a picnic basket and a camping lantern. Once everything was set to her liking, she made her way over to the brunette.

"What do you see?" she whispers in her ear.

Lexa jumps a little, startled by the interruption but quickly recovers and puts her eye back on the scope. "Everything. I see everything Clarke. It's beautiful."

"Yeah it is" Clarke replies, her eyes on the girl and not the sky.

"I think I see Venus Clarke… here look." She steps aside to let the blonde take a look.

"Wow. That really is amazing."

They take turns looking into the telescope for a bit. Eventually, Clarke grabs Lexa's hand and turns the girl to face her.

"Hungry?" she asks.

Lexa nods and allows herself to be led towards the blanket. Her mouth drops open. "Where'd all this come from?"

Clarke lets out a small laugh. "See what you miss when you have your head in the stars."

"Very funny. Well, this looks great." Lexa replies, taking a seat beside the girl on the blanket.

Clarke begins to pull out a bottle of sparkling water, containers of fruit, cheese and crackers from the picnic basket. "I hope this is okay. We can get something more substantial later if you want."

Lexa takes the girl's hand and looks into blue eyes. "This is perfect Clarke."

After enjoying their snacks, the two girls lay down side by side and stare up at the sky. Clarke scoots closer to the brunette and takes her hand.

"Are you having fun?" She asks nervously. She immediately feels the girl next to her sit up and look down at her. She quickly sits up as well, meeting the girls eyes.

"Are you kidding?" Lexa smiles gently at the blonde. "Clarke, this has been the best night I've ever had. And I don't mean just as a date, but in general. You know… I say this a lot but you continue to surprise me… in the best ways possible." She brings the blonde's hand up to her lips and lays a gentle kiss upon it. "Tonight is perfect. I love looking at the stars with you Clarke Griffin."

Clarke takes her turn to kiss the brunette's hand. "Me too, Lex."

Clarke can suddenly feel her hand trembling for the second time that evening. Her blue eyes lock onto green as she reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind the brunette's ear. While leaving her hand resting on the girl's cheek her eyes glance down towards her lips. She sees the brunette unconsciously lick her lips and the blonde breath hitches in her throat. She locks her eyes back onto Lexa's, silently asking for permission before she closes her eyes and leans in.

It's careful and gentle. Two pairs of lips perfectly molding and moving together as if they were made specifically for each other. It only lasts a few seconds and when they pull away from one another, their foreheads automatically come to rest upon each other, their eyes still closed.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long." Clarke whispers. She feels Lexa nod in agreement against her forehead and just as quickly feels lips on her own again. Clarke quickly reciprocates the kiss.

Soon, a hand is in her hair and a tongue is running cautiously along her bottom lip. She doesn't hesitate allowing it access and when her tongue meets Lexa's a moan escapes. She's not sure if it's hers or Lexa's but the sound makes her want more. She holds the brunette's face in her hands, pulling her in as close as possible.

When breathing becomes an issue, she reluctantly pulls away, both gasp for air. As their breathing steadies, green eyes slowly open to meet blue.

"Damn."

Clarke laughs. "Hey, that's my line."

Lexa lightly laughs and places a kiss on the blonde's forehead.

Best. Date. Ever.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N**

 **So I haven't left any author's notes on this story here but I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story. You all are amazing! Thank you! Now to the story...**

Clarke is sitting on top of a washing machine watching as Lexa places quarters into the one beside her.

"I can't believe it's our first Monday of summer vacation and we're sitting in this laundromat."

Lexa laugh while starting the machine. "I told you didn't have to come with me."

"And I told you my parents said you could use our washer and dryer."

Lexa gives her a stern look, causing the blonde to raise her arms in surrender. "Ok, ok. I won't bring it up again."

"Thank you." Lexa says as she walks over to Clarke and stands between her legs. She places her hands on the girl's hips while Clarke quickly places her arms on her shoulders. "You know what's great Clarke?"

"What?"

Lexa smiles and leans in, kissing the blonde slowly. "I can do that whenever I want."

"Mmm. Please do." Clarke whispers before leaning back in, intensifying the kiss quickly. She feels the brunette's hand grip her waist tightly when the sound of a buzzer interrupts them, signaling that Lexa's clothes were done. "I hate laundry." The blonde grunts.

Lexa laughs and quickly pecks the blonde's lips before retreating to the dryer, leaving a pouting blonde sitting behind her.

Lexa places the last of her folded clothes into her dresser drawer. She glances at her watch and turns around to the blonde laying on her bed. "Look like we have a couple of hours before we have to get to the AYRC. Wanna grab lunch?"

"Maybe in a little bit. Come here." Clarke smirks, while reaching for the girl's hand, pulling her onto the bed next to her.

"Claaaaarke…"

"What? I want to kiss and snuggle my girlfriend."

Lexa lays beside her and arches her eyebrow at the girl. "Girlfriend huh? That's a little presumptuous of you Griffin."

Clarke's eyes widen slightly. She didn't even notice she had said that. Instead of panicking like her initial reaction said to, she wraps her arm around the girl's waist pulling her close so she can look into her eyes.

"I know we only had our first date 3 days ago but I know I don't want to date anyone else. I like you, Lex. A lot. And I want you to be my girlfriend." She pauses to place a soft kiss on the brunette's forehead. "What do you say? Will you be my girlfriend Lexa Woods?"

Lexa smiles and lightly runs her fingers down Clarke's cheek. "I say yes." Clarke smiles brightly at the brunette. Before she can say anything, Lexa leans in closer, tightening her hold on her. "Now, about those kisses and snuggles…"

Clarke smirks, quickly wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist tighter, pulling her in closer and eliminating the space between their lips.

The kiss started slow but escalated quickly. When Clarke feels Lexa gently bite her bottom lip, she slowly moves herself so her body lies slightly on top of the girl. Her hand soon finds it's way to the bottom of the brunette's t-shirt. She begins slowly tracing small circles on the skin just underneath the material. When she feels Lexa's grip on her shoulders tighten, she begins to move her hand further north on the girl's body. Once she reaches her ribs, she feels a hand grasp her wrist causing her hand to immediately stop. Clarke breaks the kiss and opens her eyes in concern.

Lexa focuses her eyes on Clarke's before speaking softly. "Umm. Maybe we should slow down."

Clarke smiles and lightly kisses the tip of her nose. "Of course." Lexa smiles back at the girl before gently kissing her lips quickly. "So lunch?"

Clarke nods, removing herself from her girlfriend. They take each other's hands before heading out of the door.

"Dropship sound good?" Clarke asks as they walk down the street hand in hand.

Suddenly, Lexa's phone begins ringing. "Yup." Lexa responds before glancing at her phone. She looks at the screen curiously. "It's Indra. That's weird..." she swipes to accept the call. "Hi Indra."

A moment later the brunette stops in her tracks, causing the blonde to turn around and look at her with concern. She steps closer to her as the brunette continues speaking.

"No, I haven't… How would I even… Oh. I didn't know that. When?... Okay. Yeah… I'll let you know. Thanks Indra." She ends the call and continues to stare at her phone blankly.

Clarke narrows her eyes. "Everything okay?"

"Umm. I don't know yet."

Clarke waits for her to continue. Lexa places the phone in her pocket and looks up to see the blonde looking at her curiously. "We'll talk about it later, ok?"

Clarke nods and takes the girl's hand again before leading them down the street.

"You haven't touched your food."

Lexa continues to mindlessly move her fork back and forth over her salad, completely oblivious that she's being spoken to.

"Lex." Clarke tries again, this time halting her girlfriend's hand. This time Lexa looks up at her. Her confused face quickly changes to an apologetic one.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I said you haven't touched your food."

Looking down, Lexa realizes she's right. "Oh. I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought."

Clarke smiles sadly at the girl. "Lexa, talk to me."

"I don't know if I can."

Clarke immediately puts her own fork down and moves her chair around the table to she can sit right beside the girl. Lexa doesn't look up at her, her eyes fixated on her salad.

"Hey. Look at me." Clarke reaches her hand up to tilt the girl's head up. Lexa slowly focuses her eyes on Clarke's and they instantly fill with tears. Clarke's heart breaks.

"Oh baby." She immediately wraps the girl up in her arms and holds her. "Lex, you can always talk to me. No matter what it is. You know that." She can feel the brunette's body shaking.

"I don't want to change the way you think of me."

Clarke doesn't miss a beat and focuses her eyes on teary green one's. "Listen to me. Nothing you could say or do will ever change how I think or feel about you. I promise you." She pauses to wipe a few fallen tears off of Lexa's cheeks. She decides it's best to be direct with the brunette right now. "What did Indra say on the phone Lex?"

Lexa take a deep, shaky breath. "She wanted to know if I had spoken to someone."

"Ok. Who?" Clarke hears Lexa sigh but she keeps her eyes locked on the girl's and waits patiently for her to answer.

"Anya… her name is Anya. She was my friend."


	21. Chapter 21

" _What did Indra say on the phone Lex?"_

 _Lexa takes a deep, shaky breath. "She wanted to know if I had spoken to someone."_

" _Ok. Who?" Clarke hears Lexa sigh but she keeps her eyes locked on the girl's and waits patiently for her to answer._

" _Anya… her name is Anya. She was my friend."_

Clarke searches her brain, trying to remember if she knew of this Anya. But no, she had never heard Lexa mention that name before. She takes the brunette's hand in her own and squeezes it gently.

"Well, if she was your friend, why are you so upset?"

"We haven't talked in over a year… she uh… she's been in juvie." Lexa looks up to search Clarke's eyes. Clarke doesn't allow her face to falter even if inside her heart is beating a little faster. After a few moments, Lexa continues without being prompted.

"Indra told me she was released last week. Wanted to know if I had spoken to her. She says it's because she still had some of her things but I think she was checking to make sure I hadn't talked to her." Lexa pauses and sees Clarke's eyes narrow, asking an unspoken question."Indra doesn't think Anya is good for me to be around."

Clarke physically stiffens. She couldn't help it. Indra strikes her as a person who is a good judge of character. "Does Indra have a good reason to think that?"

Lexa shakes her head. "She thinks she does. But she doesn't know the whole story."

"Ok. Will you tell me the whole story?"

Lexa agreed to tell Clarke the story but didn't say anything else the rest of lunch. Now they were in the car driving to the AYRC and Clarke was trying to be patient, but she's genuinely concerned. She doesn't know anything about this Anya person except that Indra doesn't think she's good for Lexa and the fact that she was out of juvie visibly upset her girlfriend. She needs the brunette to talk to her because her mind is running wild with scenarios about this girl she'd rather not think about.

As soon as she parked the car, Clarke spoke frankly. "You're not in any danger are you?"

Lexa immediately turns her head to the blonde and looks into her eyes. She smiles sadly when she sees the concern in her girlfriend's face. "No Clarke. Anya would never hurt me. Come on, let's go inside and talk."

Clarke nods and follows Lexa out of the car and into the center. The kids shouldn't arrive for another half hour so Lexa grabs the blonde's hand and leads her to her small office. After shutting the door behind them, Lexa sits on top of her desk and motions for Clarke to sit in the chair in front of her. Once seated, Clarke looks up expectantly to green eyes.

Lexa takes a deep breath before beginning. "What I'm about to tell you, no one but me and Anya know." Her green eyes search the blue one's in front of her. Clarke nods, understanding the importance of what Lexa is about to tell her. She can see the internal struggle in her girlfriend's eyes and wishes there was something she could do to ease her worries. When she sees tears forming again she puts her hand on the girl's knee.

"Lex?"

"You promise you won't hate me?" her voice cracks.

The question shocks the blonde. She doesn't hesitate to take Lexa's hand in her own, grasping it firmly. "I could NEVER hate you Lexa Woods. Ever."

Lexa nods and laces her fingers with Clarke. Gripping her tightly while she lets out a shaky breath.

"I met Anya a little of over 2 years ago. We were placed in the same group home at the time and we instantly connected. Both of us had been in the system since we were 3 and we've shared a lot of the same experiences growing up. We just got each other, ya know. She's like the big sister I never had." She pauses, allowing herself to take another deep breath. Her eyes leave Clarke's and she stares at their joined hands while she continues.

"Um, at the time we met, I was not in a good place. My first ever girlfriend had recently broken my heart. I was a mess and to ease the pain, I started making a lot of bad choices…" tears begin to freely fall down her face. She feels Clarke moves up off the chair and sit next to her on the desk. She doesn't speak. Just gently puts her arm around her, offering her unspoken support to continue.

"I starting using. It was pills mostly but I would try anything I could get my hands on. Anything that could numb the ache in my chest."

Lexa's heart was beating fast. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, afraid to open them and face her girlfriend. It took a couple minutes, but eventually she worked up enough courage to nervously look over to the blonde beside her. Once she found Clarke's eyes, she searched them for disappointment. For hatred or disgust. But she didn't find anything like that. All she saw were the same caring, compassionate eyes she's become accustomed to staring at. The arm around her tightened, holding her closer. It gave her confidence to continue, knowing that this next part was an even worse admission.

"Anya had been trying to get me clean for months. But I wouldn't listen. We'd fight about it all the time… I was awful to her when I was high. She never gave up though. And she uh… she saved my life..." her hands were shaking and lips trembling. "One night, I just had enough. I couldn't handle the heartache anymore. I didn't want to feel unwanted anymore… I wanted the pain to go away permanently." she briefly pauses, eyes fixated again on her lap. "Anya found me moments after I swallowed every pill I had. She forced her fingers down my throat and held my hair while I emptied the contents of my stomach. She didn't yell at me. She didn't say anything. She just cleaned my mess and held me until I fell asleep. She saved my life."

Lexa was sobbing now, trying to catch her breath. Clarke leaned over and kissed the girl's temple, "Breathe baby."

This new information broke Clarke's heart in ways she didn't even know were possible. She just continued holding Lexa as tight as she could. She wiped as many tears off the brunette's cheek as she could before she quickly brushed her own tears away. Not wanting to Lexa see them. She needed to be strong for her. They sat there embraced until Lexa's breathing steadied and she began speaking again.

"I wish I could say that that was the end of it. That I had stopped using, but I didn't. I convinced Anya I did but I couldn't... The group home director had been suspecting something was going on for a while, but she couldn't prove anything. I was really good at hiding and lying… One day, she came into mine and Anya's room with a cop and they begin searching. It didn't take them long to find my stash of pills." Lexa's head hung down in shame.

"Anya was shocked. I could see the hurt in her eyes when the cop found it. The cop was yelling, asking whose it was… and then… then she…" she was gasping between sobs again. "Then Anya told them they were hers... and I didn't do anything."

Lexa angrily stood up off the desk and wiped her tears away. "I just stood there Clarke. Even when the cops put Anya in handcuffs and dragged her away... I just STOOD there." Lexa pauses to catch her breath. "I haven't spoken to her since that day. I've been so ashamed of myself… for letting her take the fall for what I did. For being weak and letting the pills run my life."

Clarke stares at her girlfriend and nods. This was a lot of information to process and not at all what she was expecting to hear. She stands and walks over to the upset girl and wraps her up in her arms. She holds her for a few minutes before pulling away and grasping her hands again. She looks deeply into Lexa's eyes and gently kisses her forehead. Clarke takes a deep breath. She had one big concern she needed an answer to.

"Lexa? Are you still using?"

Lexa shakes her head vigorously. "No Clarke. I swear to you. I haven't touched a single pill or any other drug since that day. The day after it happened I found a support group and started going to meetings in secret. Detoxing alone was rough but I got through it... I'm still not sure how."

Clarke let's out a sigh of relief and took Lexa's face in her hands. She leaned in to gently kiss the girl's lips. "Because you are unbelievably strong."

"No, Anya is strong. She saved my life… It's like she knew her doing what she did would kick my ass into gear."

"Well, that's what I hoped for."

The sound of the voice startled both Clarke and Lexa as they both turned their attention to the girl standing in the doorway.

"Anya?" Lexa gasps.

"May I come in?"

Lexa nods, ushering her in. Clarke is unsure what to do. Her instinct was to move a bit in front of Lexa to protect her but from the look on Anya's face, she didn't think she would need to do that. Clarke made a move to to walk away but is stopped by Lexa gripping her hand, pleading for her to stay.

Anya walk up to the blonde and extends her hand, "Anya." she says. Clarke meets her hand and shakes it, "Clarke." she replied. Anya nods and offers her a small smile before looking over to Lexa.

"Hi Lex."

Lexa stands silent, her tears are back. She's searching for the right words but settles on the simplest thing. "I'm sorry."

Anya smirks. "Good."

"Thank you." Lexa adds quickly.

"Thank you for getting your shit together."

Lexa hangs her head down. "Do you hate me?"

Anya takes a step closer to her. "No. I don't hate you Lex... I'm a little pissed you never tried to contact me."

"I'm sorry. I…" Lexa was interrupted by Anya waving a hand in front of her.

"Honestly Lexa. I'm happy that I'm actually able to be pissed at you. It sure as hell beats the alternative."

Lexa stares at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.

"When you didn't write or visit, I thought you spiraled further out of control… I was worried that when I got out, I'd be looking for a gravesite." Her voice is strong and unwavering. The weight of the words hit Clarke and Lexa like a ton of bricks.

Clarke watches as Lexa and Anya stare at each other. Sensing these two needed to talk, she turns to her girlfriend. "I'm going to give you two some time." She says almost like a question. Lexa smiles and nods, leaning over to kiss the blonde's cheek. Clarke returns a smile and with a brief nod to Anya she walks out of the office.

Once outside the door, Clarke takes a moment to briefly look back. She smiles when she says the two girls hugging.

Later that evening, Clarke and Lexa are laying on Lexa's bed, arms wrapped around one another.

"What a day." Lexa sighs

Clarke leans over to place a gentle kiss on the girl's lips. "I'd say so." she says, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Lexa's ear. "Thank you for being honest with me today."

"I'm sorry if you're disappointed in me."

"Not even a little." Clarke states quickly and softly.

"I don't know how that could be. I'm disappointed in myself."

Clarke tightens her hold around her waist. "Lexa, we all make mistakes. But the way you've turned your life around is beyond amazing and you should be proud of yourself. I am so proud of you babe." Clarke reaches her hand down and laces their fingers together. "I know you regret things with Anya, but from the look of it today, it seems like she's just happy you're ok."

"Yeah. I really thought she was going to hate me… But she actually wants to be a part of my life again Clarke."

Clarke smiles softly. "And that makes you happy?"

"Yeah. I've missed her."

"I think she missed you too."

Lexa shifts her body and snuggles closer to Clarke. Her head resting on the blondes chest. "Thank you for not leaving me."

"I told you I was staying the night." Clarke says, gently running her fingers through brown, wavy hair.

Lexa lightly shakes her head. "No. I mean, thank you for not leaving me after I told you about my past. I was afraid you'd run away after that. That you wouldn't feel the same way anymore"

Clarke gentle kisses the top of her head. "Lexa Woods, that could never happen. I like everything about you. The good and the bad because it's all those things that make you YOU. You never have to be afraid to tell me anything."

"I don't want to screw this up Clarke. I can't lose you."

Clarke gently places her hand on the girl's chin and lifts her head so she can lean down and kiss her. Lexa responds desperately. Her hand gripping the back of the blondes head, trying to bring her closer.

After a few moments, Clarke slowly breaks the kiss and looks down into green eyes. "You won't ever lose me. I'm not going anywhere."


	22. Chapter 22

It had been a pretty low key few weeks, which Clarke was grateful for. After all the emotional and trying events of the past few months, this stretch of non-excitement and boredom was welcome.

Lexa had been spending a lot of time with Anya, helping the girl readjust to life. Lexa got her a job at The Dropship and offered for the older girl to stay with her in her small studio apartment until she saved enough money for her own. Clarke could tell that having her friend back made Lexa happy and that, in turn, made Clarke happy. However, she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss her girlfriend. They haven't really been able to spend a whole lot of time together alone.

Tonight would be different, though. Tonight was their official one-month anniversary and they had a date night all planned out. Anya even made plans to stay somewhere else for the night. Clarke could barely contain her excitement of being able to spend an entire evening alone with Lexa.

First, she had to get through this shift at the center. Clarke is currently walking around in the art room watching as the children enjoy "Free Draw Friday". It's the only day of the week that the kids have 100% freedom to create whatever they want, using any materials they want. Clarke loved the work the kids came up on this day when they had no restrictions.

"Wow Amber, that's looking great!" Clarke exclaims, sitting next to the young girl.

"Thanks Ms. Clarke!" Amber basically yells. The girl proceeds to talk excitedly to Clarke about her drawing until they are interrupted by a knock on the door.

Clarke turns around and smiles, seeing her parents. "Mom, dad! What are you guys doing here?" she said, standing up and making her way over to them. Hugging them both.

"Well, we had lunch with Marcus and thought we'd come by and drop off some food for you and Lexa. It's in the break room." Abby says.

"That's awesome. Thanks, I'm starving… umm… we have about 15 more minutes here, you're welcome to stay and hang out."

"We'd love to." Mr. Griffin says, walking further into the room.

Clarke motions them to a couple empty seats at Amber's table. Mrs. Griffin notices the girl and her drawing. "Oh wow, that's a great astronaut you got there. Who is it?"

Amber smiles. "It's me! I'm going to be an astronaut. I like science."

"Hey me too! I'm a scientist." Exclaims Mr. Griffin.

Amber's eyes bug out of her head and she gasps. "Really?"

Mr and Mrs. Griffin laugh. "Yes really. What's your name kid?"

"I'm Amber."

"Nice to meet you Amber, I'm Jake and this is Abby. Maybe I can come by here sometime and show you some science experiments. Would you like that?"

Amber jumps out of her seat. "Yes please! I have to go tell Ms. Clarke!" The girl runs to find Clarke and Mr. and Mrs. Griffin beam with pride as they watch how their daughter interacts with the young girl.

Clarke listens intently to the young girl and smiles up to her parents. She takes the young girl's hand and leads her back to the table towards her parents.

"So Amber tells me you're going to come show us some experiments?"

"I am indeed kiddo. I'll go set it up with Marcus now. I'll see you soon Amber." he says, standing up.

"Ok Mr. Jake!"

"We'll see you in a few minutes honey." Her mother says, hugging Clarke before walking out of the art room.

Clarke watches her parents leave then turns her attention back to the children. "Alright guys, let's start cleaning up."

The children begin moving around and Clarke watches as Amber takes her seat and begins cleaning up her materials slowly. Eventually, it is just Clarke and Amber left in the room.

Clarke sits next to the girl and helps her put away the markers on the table. Once they finish placing all the markers into the bucket, Amber places the lid on top and looks up to Clarke.

"That was your mommy and daddy right?" she asks shyly.

Clarke smiles softly. "Yeah, that was them."

Amber nods her and bites her little lip. "What's it like?"

"What's what like sweetie?"

Amber lifts her head and directly looks at Clarke. "What's it like having a mommy and daddy?"

Clarke is sitting in the break room with Lexa. Her parents left a few minutes ago and Clarke had been relatively silent the entire time. She can't get Amber out of head. Clarke had felt like someone had punched her the stomach when the young girl asked her that question. She didn't know how to respond so she sat there frozen. Unable to find the right words she just hugged the girl.

Lexa's voice interrupts her thoughts. "You ok Clarke?"

"I'm fine."

"I call b.s. You barely spoke when your parents were here." She says, taking Clarke's hand in her own.

"It's nothing really. It's just, Amber said something to me before I came in here and it just hit me hard, I guess."

"Is she ok?" Clarke nods and Lexa continues. "Ok. Well, why does it have you upset then? What'd she say?"

Clarke bit her lip. "I don't know if I should say. I don't want to seem insensitive…"

Lexa's eyes narrow. "Clarke, you are literally the most sensitive, caring, compassionate person I know. You can tell me anything. Just say it."

Clarke lets out a small sigh. "Amber asked me what it was like to have a mom and a dad."

Lexa smiles sadly and squeezes her girlfriend's hand. "That's a tough one."

"Yeah. I couldn't say anything when she asked me. I just hugged her."

"That was the perfect response Clarke."

Clarke's eyes soften. "Yeah?"

Lexa gently kisses her forehead. "Absolutely. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we are loved by someone. Reminded that, even though we don't have parents, that someone cares for us and that we deserve that affection."

Clarke nodded and leaned in to capture the brunette's lips in a soft kiss. She instantly felt better. "Thank you."

"Lex, you ready to go?" Clarke asks as she stands outside Mr. Kane's office. Lexa looks up from the mountain of paperwork in front of her.

"Sorry. Mr. Kane and I kind of need to finish going through all of this."

Clarke nods. "Oh, ok. No worries, I can wait."

"Don't be silly Clarke. Go ahead and go."

"I can give Lexa a lift home when we're finished." Mr. Kane offers.

"You sure? I don't mind waiting."

Lexa stands up and walks over to the blonde. "We won't be too much longer. Go ahead and I'll see you tonight." She says before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Ok. I'll pick you up at 8."

"Can't wait."

Clarke leans in for another quick kiss. "Me either."

They are interrupted by a small laugh coming from Mr. Kane, both of them now blushing having forgotten that he was even there.

"I'll let you get back to work. Goodnight Mr. Kane."

"Goodnight Clarke." he says in a playful tone.

Clarke blushes again before turning to her girlfriend. "See you later Lex."

Clarke was singing along to the radio as her thoughts wander through the events of today. Today had been one of the rougher ones at the center. Sometimes she forgets just how rough these kids lives are and that every night when she get's to go home to her loving parents, they go to a group home or a temporary foster home.

She had felt pretty down after the conversation with Amber, but thanks to her wonderful girlfriend she was able to feel a little better. The fact that Lexa said she had responded in the right way, eased the guilt on Clarke's shoulders. A smile forms on her lips at the thought of Lexa. She was so incredibly excited for their anniversary tonight.

Clarke turned up the radio and sang a little louder only to be interrupted a moment later when her phone beeped, alerting her of a new text message. She glances down and picks up her phone, reading the message quickly. With a quick glance to the road in front of her, she turns her attention to her phone and begins to type out a reply.

The pain engulfs her entire body and all she can hear is the faint sound of the radio as her eyes close.

She never saw the other car.


	23. Chapter 23

**1:50 a.m.**

The waiting room was bright and cold. These chairs were uncomfortable and the anchorman on the television had the most annoying voice known to man.

Yet, none of that mattered. She felt numb. Her leg kept bouncing and her fingers tapped the armrest. She ran out of tears hours ago and her mind keeps replaying the phone call she received last night.

 _It was 9:15 and Clarke was supposed to pick her up at 8. Lexa had yet to get a hold of her girlfriend and she was now officially freaking out. She's pacing across her apartment floor when her phone rings. She answers it quickly, without looking at the name on the screen._

" _Clarke?!"_

" _Um, no kid. It's Jake."_

 _Why did his voice sound weird?…"Oh. Hi Mr. Griffin. Sorry, I can't get a hold of Clarke. I thought it was her calling."_

" _Lexa are you at home?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _Is Anya there?"_

" _No sir, she's at work." she heard him sigh. "Mr. Griffin… what's going on? Where's Clarke? Do you know where she is?" Lexa couldn't help the panic in her voice._

" _Honey, I need you to sit down."_

 _Her heart sank and her eyes filled with tears. She made her way to her bed and sat down, the phone was shaking in her hand._

" _Are you sitting?"_

" _Mr. Griffin, where's Clarke?"_

 _She hears him take a deep breath. "There's been an accident."_

 _Her heart stops and tears begin falling. "Clarke?" her voice cracks._

" _She's here at the hospital. She's in surgery."_

" _Is she okay?" Lexa mentally rolls her eyes at herself. She's in surgery Lexa, of course she's not okay. When Jake didn't answer her all she could do was ask again. "Mr. Griffin, is she okay?"_

" _I'm coming to pick you up. I'll be there in 10 minutes." He had said right before the line went dead._

When they first arrived back here Clarke was still in surgery to remove her spleen that had ruptured in the accident. The cops had said they believed Clarke was on her phone when she ran the stop sign and the other car hit her.

Now, hours later, Lexa is sitting alone in this waiting room. Clarke had made it out of surgery and was in recovery. She's waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Griffin to come and get her so she can go see the blonde.

Lexa hasn't been able to ease the worry in heart. Mr. Griffin had kept telling her that Clarke would be fine, but she couldn't believe him. She couldn't believe that the broken bone in her arm would heal and that the spleen they removed from her girlfriend's body wouldn't be missed. Lexa couldn't allow herself to believe it. Not until she saw for herself.

She had to look into her favorite pair of blue eyes and see the sparkle that lived there.

She had to feel her pulse when she held her hand her own.

She had feel her breath when she kissed her.

Lexa wipes a tear off her face and looks up at the ceiling. She closes her eyes and sees the blonde girl who has quickly become her entire world. The thought of losing her is crippling. "Don't you dare make me fall for you and then leave me Clarke Griffin."

Mr. Griffin enters the waiting room a short while later. "Come on kid. She's awake."

Lexa sprang up quickly from the chair and followed Mr. Griffin out of the room and down the hallway. When they finally reach the room at the end of the hall she pauses outside when her eyes land on the girl who is quietly talking to her mother.

"Go ahead." Mr. Griffin says, urging her to walk inside. The sound of his voice causes Clarke to turn her face towards the door. She weakly smiles when she sees the brunette.

"Lexa" the blonde says softly. Lexa has never enjoyed the sound of her name more.

Mrs. Griffin kisses the top of her daughter's head and then walks over to where Lexa is standing. The older woman wraps her arms around her and places a kiss on top of her head as well before whispering "She's okay, honey."

Lexa nods and Mrs. Griffin looks back towards her daughter. "Clarke, your father and I will be back in a little while." The elder Griffin's walk away, leaving the two girls alone.

Lexa walks slowly over to Clarke's bedside.

"Hi." Clarke says.

"Shh" Lexa whispers as she sits gently on the bed.

Clarke closes her mouth and watches as her girlfriend's eyes roam her slightly damaged body. Lexa studies the scratches and bruises on her face and the cast on her left arm. Lexa's face is suddenly directly in front of her own.

Lexa stares deeply into blue eyes... _There's the sparkle._

She then takes a hold of the blondes hand... _There's the pulse._

Finally, she leans over and places a soft kiss on her lips... _Breath._

Lexa rests her forehead gently on Clarke's. Tears of relief automatically begin falling.

"Baby, don't cry. I'm okay." Clarke whispers.

Lexa shakes her head, lifting her head so she can place a kiss on the blondes forehead. She moves down and places another kiss on the tip of her nose before gently covering her lips with her own. "You scared the hell out of me Griffin."

"I know... I'm sorry. I was stupid."

"Yes you were." The brunette says matter-of-factly before kissing the girl again. "Clarke, you can't do stupid things like that. I know answering that text message seemed harmless but you know you should always wait if you're driving."

"I know Lex. I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking."

"Well, in the future think about it." Lexa pauses and gently laces her fingers with the blondes. "Clarke… I need you to promise something."

Clarke nods, "Anything."

"In the future, when you're making decisions that could potentially put you in harms way or you think something may seem harmless, please take a moment and remember that you're thinking for two now… I wouldn't be able to handle it if something ever happened to you." Lexa's bottom lip trembles as she fights back tears.

Clarke listens intently, the tears are already falling from her own eyes. She tugs the girl towards and softly kisses her lips. She can taste the mixture of their tears. When she pulls back she stares directly into her girlfriend's swollen and red, but still gorgeous green eyes.

"I promise."


	24. Chapter 24

Clarke had been released from the hospital a little less than a week later. Lexa hardly left the blonde's side, which Clarke wasn't complaining about. Her favorite part was that Lexa has been staying with the Griffin's since Clarke was able to come back home. It's been amazing to fall asleep and wake up with her girlfriend by her side every day.

At the moment, Clarke is sitting alone on the sofa, waiting for the brunette to come back from grabbing them some lunch. Clarke was bored out of her mind. She had broken her left arm in the accident, which meant she can't even draw. That has sucked the most. Her heart urges to create and she misses the feel of a pencil or paintbrush in her hand.

Thankfully, her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. When she looks down and sees Raven's name flash across her screen she smiles sadly. It had been a text from Raven that Clarke was answering when she got into the accident. To say that Raven felt guilty would be an understatement.

It took days to get the girl to talk her. Everyone, (her parents, Octavia, Lexa and herself) have been telling her the accident was in no way her fault. The girl said she believed them but Clarke didn't believe her. The simple fact that Raven hasn't sent her another text message spoke volumes. Instead, the girl calls her everyday. Lexa said she thinks it helps the brunette to hear her voice. That makes sense, but Clarke just wants her friend not to feel bad anymore.

"Hey Rae."

"How you feeling today Spleen-less?"

Clarke laughs. _Only Raven_ she thinks. "I'm good. Kinda bored right now."

"Your girlfriend desert you? She's supposed to be entertaining you."

"She'll be back soon. She went to get some food."

"I see, I see. Guess you're stuck talking to me."

"Ugh. Man, I can't catch a break." She says with a laugh.

"Suck it Griffin."

"You know I love you Raven."

"Of course you do, I'm amazing."

Clarke hears the front door open and sees her girlfriend walk into the living room. Lexa places the food on the coffee table and kisses the top of the blonde's head. Lexa points to the phone and mouths "Raven?". Clarke nods and sees Lexa smile softly as she begins emptying the contents of the bags.

"Griffin?"

"Sorry, Rae. Lexa just got back."

"Oh okay, no worries. I'll let you go..." There's a long pause. "Clarke?" her voice is soft and sad.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, you know."

Clarke smiles sadly. "I know Raven. I love you too."

"I'll call you tomorrow ok."

"Ok Rae."

Clarke hangs up the phone and places it beside her. Lexa hands her a set of chopsticks and a box of cashew chicken before sitting back and relaxing next to her.

"How's Raven?"

Clarke sighs. "I'm worried about her. I can tell she still beating herself up over the accident."

"Give her some time. We just need to keep assuring her it wasn't her fault. She'll be okay. I'll talk to her again if you want."

Clarke takes the girl's hand. "You're amazing. Thank you."

"Anything for you." she says, placing a soft kiss on the blonde's lips. "Now come on. Lets eat."

 _Beep Beep Beep_

Clarke groans. _Why is the alarm going off?_ She slowly opens her eyes and sees Lexa reaching for her phone, turning off the alarm. When the brunette turns around she places a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead.

"Sorry Clarke. Go back to sleep, I have a shift at the Dropship."

"Mmm. Don't go." Clarke whispers, grabbing the girl's arm.

Lexa giggles. "It's only a half shift. I'll be back in 4 ½ hours. Then we'll have the rest of the day together. Remember, we're barbecuing with your parents later."

Clarke smiles. Today was the 4th of July and she loved this day. Her and her parents always grilled and set off fireworks. She was happy to be able to share this tradition with Lexa.

"Fireworks?" She said excitedly causing Lexa to laugh again.

"Yes, Clarke. Fireworks... Though, I'm not sure you should be handling any explosives. I'd like to keep you out of the hospital."

The blonde pouts. "Just ruin all my fun then."

Lexa leans down for a quick peck. "I'll make it up to you with a different kind of fun." She says with a wink before getting off the bed and making her way to the bathroom. Leaving Clarke with her mouth agape.

"Tease!" she yells towards the closed door.

Clarke is in the kitchen helping her mother prep food for grilling while her father is outside unloading all the fireworks he just purchased.

Clarke's mind wanders to a beautiful brunette with green eyes. She couldn't wait to be sitting on the lawn, Lexa in her arms...

"Be careful with your cast honey. Don't get it wet." her mother warned drawing Clarke's attention back to the vegetables she was rinsing.

Clarke quickly moved her arm away from the running water. "Got it mom. Ugh, I can't wait to get this thing off."

"Only a few more weeks. You should have it off in time for the anniversary party."

Clarke's parents were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in a few weeks and were throwing a party at the Arkadia Country Club. Clarke hated the country club but she was excited to celebrate her parents. They were such a good couple and she hopes she will have a long lasting relationship like that. A forever relationship.

"It's going to be a great party mom."

"It will be. Is Lexa going to be able to make it?"

"Is Lexa going to make it where?" The brunette asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey you." Clarke said walking over to her girlfriend and embracing her in her arms. Pulling away only to place a kiss on her lips.

"Hey" Lexa said, blushing a little when she looked up and saw Mrs. Griffin smirking. "Hi Mrs. Griffin."

"Hello honey. How was work?"

"It was fine. It was work ya know?... Now where am I supposed to make it to?"

"My parents anniversary party." Clarke answers as she makes her way back to the sink to finish her task.

"Don't get your cast wet babe." Lexa warns immediately after Clarke turned the faucet on.

Clarke laughs. "Yes mom number 2. I know." causing Mrs. Griffin to laugh and Lexa to blush.

"So honey, will you be at the party?" Mrs. Griffin asks.

"I wouldn't miss it Mrs. Griffin."

"Glad to hear it." The woman says before picking up a tray of food. "Help me take these outside?"

Lexa nods, picks up another tray and follows the woman outside. The two women place the trays on the table. Lexa sends a small wave to Mr. Griffin on the other side of the yard before turning around to see Mrs. Griffin smiling at her.

"What?" Lexa says, quickly looking down at her appearance which only causes Mrs. Griffin to laugh.

"Nothing honey. I'm just glad you're here. Not just today, but the last few weeks. Thank you for taking such great care of Clarke."

Lexa blushes again. Her eyes traveling to the window of the kitchen where she sees her girlfriend standing. The blonde looks up and smiles, causing Lexa to return the smile instantly. "You don't need to thank me Mrs. Griffin. I'd do anything for her, I lo… Um… She's… She's important to me." Lexa's eyes travel back to Clarke.

Mrs. Griffin smiles. She knows that look. "I know Lexa. You're important to her too."

"How are the college applications going girls?" Mr. Griffin asks while the four of them are seated and enjoying their meal.

"So far so good. One more to go." Clarke answers.

"Yeah, me too... The essay on this last one is giving me some trouble though." Lexa says before taking a bite of her burger.

"Anything we can help with?" Mr. Griffin asks.

Lexa smiles. "No. But thank you Mr. Griffin. I'm sure the words will come to me soon enough."

The chatter continued as they finished their meal. After cleaning up the remaining food, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin head to the other side of the yard to begin setting up the fireworks to launch. Lexa feels Clarke's hand in her own and allows the blonde to lead her to the middle of lawn where a blanket lays.

Lexa sits down first, allowing Clarke to sit in front of her, the blondes back to her chest. Lexa wraps her arms around her and rests her chin on the girl's shoulder.

"Thank you for inviting me today. I had fun." she whispers, kissing the girl's cheek.

"Of course. Besides, you've kind of been living here, it would've been rude to banish you to my room while we had all the fun." Clarke giggles and Lexa's gently pinches her sides.

"Smartass."

Clarke lifts her head up to look into her girlfriend's eyes. "I'm happy you were here too Lex. I love sharing these kind of traditions with you."

"Me too. I love being here with you and your family in general. It's going to be weird when I go back to my apartment in a couple days."

"I don't want to talk about that. I like going to sleep and waking up next to you every day."

"Yeah, that's been pretty great… but hey," she says, placing a kiss on the girl's head "you can still come over to my place anytime you want… And at my place, we'd be alone."

"What about Anya?"

"She got a place today. She's moving out at the end of the week."

"So you're saying, you and I would have an entire apartment to ourselves. No parents, no Anya...no interruptions?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Clarke smiles and lifts her head up to reach the brunette's lips. She feels Lexa's hand gently take hold of her cheek and tilt her head, deepening the kiss and Clarke moans when their tongues meet in a gentle battle.

A popping sound causes them to break apart. Their eyes travel upward where fireworks are exploding and lighting up the night sky. Lexa feels Clarke settle back into her body and take her hands, lacing their fingers together. As she's watching the colors exploding around them she looks down at the blonde she's holding and it suddenly hits her.

The words to her essay... the ones she's been struggling to find...

They're right here in her arms.


	25. Chapter 25

Lexa is sitting on her bed waiting for Clarke to come pick her up. Tonight is Mr. and Mrs. Griffin's anniversary party and she was nervous. Not for the party per se, but there was something in air… something in her gut that told her things would change tonight. All she was hoping, was that it was a positive change.

 _Beep beep_

She quickly grabs her phone beside her and all her nerves subsided.

 **Clarke:** _Leaving my house now. Be there soon 3_

Lexa doesn't reply, she's still a little gun-shy when it comes to texting Clarke if she knows the girl is going to drive. She gets up and walks into her bathroom, double checking her makeup and hair. She runs her hand down the sides of her dress and lets out a deep breath before returning to her bed and sitting gently, careful not to wrinkle her outfit.

She's not sure how long she sat there in silence but she was startled by the sudden knocking on her door.

Knowing her girlfriend was on the other side of the knocking, Lexa rushed across her apartment to open the door. Her mouth instantly drops open at the sight of Clarke.

Lexa's eyes travel up and down the girl's body. The girl is wearing a sparkling, sapphire blue dress. It matches her eyes and hugs her hourglass shape perfectly. Her hair is up with sporadic curl tendrils falling on the side of her face. Her eyes travel down again…

Clarke watched her girlfriend take her in and Clarke couldn't help but do the same. Her girlfriend was in the most beautiful emerald green dress she's ever seen. The color complimented her olive skin and dark hair. God, Lexa is perfect...

"Damn." they both sigh causing each other to laugh.

Lexa can't take it anymore and leans forwards to capture the blonde's lips in her own. "You look gorgeous Clarke."

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." the blonde responds, her lips finding the brunette's again.

When they arrived to country club and entered the reception hall, Lexa froze in the doorway. The room was decorated elegantly and everyone here looked like they were from a completely different, very rich, world she was not accustomed to. This was definitely the fanciest party Lexa had ever been to and she couldn't help but feel a little awkward. She looked down at her dress and ran her hand through hair, as if checking to make sure she was put together as possible. Clarke had noticed her uneasiness quickly and grasp her hand in support and didn't let go.

"You're perfect Lexa. You are the most beautiful girl here." Clarke spoke in her ear, placing a gentle kiss to her temple. Lexa smiled brightly at the girl, her nerves gone. Clarke returned the smile before leading the girl away towards her parents.

"Ahh, my other two favorite girls. You two look absolutely stunning." Mr. Griffin said as he wrapped his arms around both girls.

"You look very handsome Mr. Griffin."

"Yeah dad, quite dapper. Where's mom?" Clarke asked, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm right here. Girls, my goodness you're both so gorgeous." Mrs. Griffin answered hugging both of them before joining her husband's side.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Griffin. Thank you for inviting me. This is the fanciest place I've ever seen." Lexa said genuinely.

"Oh honey, we are so happy you're here. Wouldn't be the same without you." Mrs. Griffin says before they interrupted by a man with camera approach them.

"Oh, Clarke has arrived. Good good. Are we ready for the family picture Mr. and Mrs. Griffin." the man said.

"Let's do it!" Mr. Griffin responded

Lexa begin politely moving away from the group when Mr. Griffin grabbed her arm. "Where you going kid? It's family picture time."

"Uh... What?...You want me..." Lexa was at a loss for words.

"Of course. You're part of this family. I want all my girl's with me." He said softly.

"What he said. Get over here honey." Mrs. Griffin added, holding her hand out. Lexa smiled shyly, fighting tears. She felt Clarke kiss her cheek before the blonde went to stand beside her father and Lexa took Mrs. Griffin's outreached hand.

The photographer began snapping photos and after a few moments, Lexa relaxed a bit. Lexa stole a glance at the blonde standing a couple feet away and was surprised to see blue eyes staring back. Lexa's heart never felt more full.

As the night began to wind down, and people began to slowly leave, Lexa took the opportunity to talk to the DJ and request a song. It's a song she had heard randomly on a Pandora station and the moment she heard it, she knew she wanted it to be playing when she shared her first dance with Clarke.

"May I have this dance?" The brunette asked when she reached the blonde, holding out her hand.

"I'd love to." Clarke answered almost instantly. The sounds of a piano filled the room as they reached the dancefloor.

 _Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself_

 _Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms_

 _There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast_

 _Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life_

Lexa didn't waste time placing her hands on the blonde's hips as her girlfriend instantly placed her arms her shoulder.

 _If you knew how lonely my life has been_

 _And how long I've been so alone_

 _And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along_

 _And change my life the way you've done_

Lexa smiled down brightly at the girl in her arms and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her forehead before she wrapped her arms tighter around her, bringing her in closer. She felt whole when the blonde rested her head on her shoulder.

 _It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me_

 _It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from_

 _It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me_

 _It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong_

Clarke listened intently to the lyrics as she felt Lexa holding onto her tightly. She found comfort in the fact that she could feel the others girl's heartbeat as they swayed.

 _A window breaks, down a long, dark street_

 _And a siren wails in the night_

 _But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me_

 _And I can almost see, through the dark there is light_

Lexa rested her head on the blonde's. She made a decision right then, that she was going to share something very important with Clarke that night. As the final verse began, the brunette loosened her grip a bit and leaned back so she could look into her favorite pair of blue eyes.

 _Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me_

 _And how long I've waited for your touch_

 _And if you knew how happy you are making me_

 _I never thought that I'd love anyone so much_

Clarke listened to the lyrics and her heart begin to race. Before she could say anything she felt lips on her own.

Clarke loved fireworks, but no other fireworks compared to the ones going off behind her eyelids as she kissed Lexa.

They pulled apart just as the song ended.

"Do want to come to my place? There's something I want to show you." Lexa spoke softly.

Clarke nodded before taking the girl's hand and walking off the dancefloor.

They arrived back at Lexa's apartment after a very quiet ride home. There was something in the air. Anticipation? Fear? Clarke wasn't sure, but she was happy to be out of the car and in her pajamas sitting on her girlfriend's bed.

While she waited for the brunette to come out of the bathroom she picked up the frame on her bedside table. The photo was one of herself and her parents at the pizza parlor the day of Lexa's emancipation hearing. She didn't know the girl had taken the photo but it warmed her heart everytime she saw it.

"Hey."

Clarke's put the photo down and smiled up at the voice. "Hey."

Lexa approached and sat beside her on the bed. Before Clarke could say anything the brunette reached over her to open the bedside table drawer. Clarke watched curiously as Lexa pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"Here." The brunette said, handing the paper to Clarke.

"What's this?"

"It's my essay. I want you to read it." Lexa responded nervously. Clarke placed a gentle kiss on the girl's lips to ease the nerves before she unfolded the paper and began reading.

 _ **Who is your hero?**_

 _If I were asked this question a year ago, I would've had a completely different answer and this would be an entirely different essay. I most likely would have given a very pessimistic, yet thoroughly supported, viewpoint that heroes are unnecessary and people should be self-sufficient; to some extent, I guess that's still partly true._

 _However, that pessimistic view was before I met my hero and she saved my life._

 _Now, my hero doesn't wear a cape or mask. She isn't a celebrity or a politician. She's a 5'4, perky blonde high school senior. I know, not your typical hero right? I'm sure your mind drifted to some blonde pop culture icons, but rest assured, my hero, she doesn't fight crime (though, I feel safest when I'm around her) and she doesn't slay vampires (but I'm sure they wouldn't stand a chance against her)._

 _No, my hero, she's just Clarke. She's loving and caring. Compassionate and fierce. She's an artist and incredibly creative; I'm in awe of the masterpieces she calls "doodles". Most importantly, she never gives up. Not on situations or on people. If she did, she would've given up on me a long time ago._

 _When her and I first met, I thought she was nothing more but a privileged, spoiled princess. Growing up in the foster care system, I developed a chip on my shoulder and automatically judged kids who had more than I did. I always thought they didn't really appreciate what the were lucky enough to have. It was an unfair judgement but I built my walls to protect myself. If I thought the worst of people, they couldn't disappointment me. If I expected them to always leave, I wouldn't be devastated when they inevitably did._

 _This method of thinking seemed to work well for me in the past. I tried my best to get this blonde girl to hate me. I couldn't let her get close because one look into her blue eyes I knew she had the power to destroy me and I had to protect myself. I could see she liked me from the beginning, and a part of me thought it was just some sort of rich girl fantasy to get the foster kid to fall for her._

 _Well, I wasn't going to allow that to happen. So, I was rude and short in our conversations. I rolled my eyes at her suggestions. I rejected her offerings of kindness and friendship. This went on for weeks and any other person would've told me to go to hell and walk away._

 _But not Clarke. She kept trying. She kept complimenting me and my work. She offered me small smiles and looks of affection when she thought I wasn't looking. She saw the pain in my eyes that no one else bothered to see. Before I knew it, I was telling her secrets. She came to my rescue when she found out I was being abused by my foster mother. She held my hand in the courtroom. She opened her home and shared her parents with me._

 _And she did all of this without an ounce of pity in her eyes. She did it because she cared, not because she felt bad for me._

 _Our friendship was solid. We had been through so much in such a short period of time, it was hard not to get close quickly. All of a sudden, she was the most important person in my life. And that terrified me. I still had skeletons in my closet, things I knew I would have to share with her eventually and it scared me that once she knew these things, she'd leave me. That she wouldn't look at me the same. The way she did that made me feel like I could do anything, like I was the most amazing person in the world. But, circumstances arouse and I shared my dark past with her._

 _She didn't leave._

 _She called me strong and brave. She reminded me that we all mistakes and that the good and bad parts of our past is what makes us who we are. She said she liked all those things, because she liked me. She looked at me as though I was her hero._

 _She still looks at me like that._

 _A hero's job shouldn't be to always come to the rescue, their job is to give you the confidence to rescue yourself. The confidence to_ _ **believe**_ _you can rescue yourself. That's the greatest power they posses. It's what Clarke possesses._

 _And, I love her. I love her not just because she's my hero or because she saved my life. Even though she is, and she did._

 _I love her because she thought I was everything when I thought I was nothing._

The tears fell freely onto Clarke's cheeks. She places the essay on the bed beside her and looked over to the beautiful girl with green eyes sitting next her.

"Lex…" she whispered

"I love you Clarke."

The blonde didn't waste anymore time. She leaned over and captured the girl's lips in her own, kissing her like she had never kissed anyone in her entire life. She pulled away moments later when breath became an issue.

"I love you too Lexa."

The brunette smiled before recapturing her girlfriend's lips. The kiss intensified quickly and they soon found themselves falling backwards, down onto the bed. It wasn't long until clothes were lost and hands were roaming bare bodies. It wasn't until Clarke felt Lexa briefly gasp and stiffen, that she pulled away.

"You okay?"

Lexa nodded.

"Are you sure? We don't have to do this." Clarke breathed out, staring into Lexa's eyes as she hovered over the brunette.

"I want to… I'm uh, I'm just nervous." She said, biting her lip.

Clarke leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Don't worry, we got this."

The sun shined brightly through the curtains as Lexa's eyes drifted open. She attempted to stretch her body but found her movement was restricted. Her eyes focused on the blonde girl lying beside, her body intertwined with her own. And just like that, the events of the night before came flooding back to her and the smile formed on her lips before she could stop it.

Lexa never really understood the true concept of "home" or "family" while growing up in the system. But now, as she's watching Clarke Griffin sleep peacefully beside her, she gets it.

This is home.

She is home.

 **A/N**

 **And that's it everyone! Thank you so much for reading/following/commenting. I will be continuing writing in this verse so there will be 2 more parts of The System.**

 **The System Part 2 - Higher Education will be posted in the middle of May.**

 **If you're not familiar with it, be sure to check out, "Feels Like Home" by Chantal Kreviazuk, the song Clarke and Lexa danced too. It's one of all time faves.**


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